TREASURY

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent by his Department on asbestos surveys since 1 January 2001; how much has been spent on the management and removal of asbestos for each building in which asbestos has been identified; and what budget is available for the Department and its agencies to (a) commission asbestos surveys and (b) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2004.

Ruth Kelly: Detailed costings have not been undertaken in the case of all the Chancellor's Departments, and where this is the case, the data requested can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Available data are as follows:
	Customs and Excise and the Valuation Office Agency both recorded nil expenditure for asbestos surveys or the removal of asbestos between 1 January 2001 and 1 April 2001. Further information in both cases could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Government Actuary's Department and the Debt Management Office both recorded nil expenditure for asbestos surveys and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001.
	Work is currently under way on the National Savings and Investments' Glasgow site. Estimated cost of the remedial work to date is £500,000, and estimated costs to the end of the financial year are £750,000 (excluding VAT).
	Since 1 January 2001, the Royal Mint has spent £6,802 on asbestos surveys. Expenditure incurred in removing asbestos was £1,380 in 2001; £20,120 in 2002; and £2,980 in 2003.
	The Office of National Statistics is currently in the process of conducting a new asbestos survey at a cost of £78,000. Expenditure on remedial work since 1 January 2001 is £154,000.
	Expenditure by the Office of Government Commerce on asbestos surveys since January 2001 is approximately £27,000. The cost of remedial work since January 2001 is £279,000.

Council Tax

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the total revenue from council tax in (a) 1996–97, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03, in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms using 2001–02 prices; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Government grant to local authorities has increased over the period since 1997. Overall there has been a 25 per cent. real increase in total grants since 1997, compared with a 7 per cent. cut in real terms in the four years previously. Most recently, the Local Government Financial Settlement for 2003–04 increased local authority funding through Formula Grant by 5.9 per cent. in real terms. Including other grants, the increase is over 8 per cent. For the first time, every local authority has generated above inflation increases this year.
	It is in this context that local authorities have made their decisions about the level of council tax they wish to set in their areas.
	The figures requested are shown in the table:
	
		Council tax -- £ billion
		
			  Cash Real terms(2001–02 prices) 
		
		
			 1996–97 10.1 11.5 
			 2001–02 15.2 15.2 
			 2002–03 16.6 16.2

Customs Officers

Candy Atherton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many customs officers there are stationed west of the line from Bristol to Southampton.

John Healey: I refer my hon. friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 99W.
	This information is not available in the format requested. Figures for the number of Customs and Excise Officers by Government Office region are published on an annual basis in the Civil Service Statistics, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, and from the Cabinet Office website.
	The Customs figures are based on the number of officers whose office address falls within the defined area. However, Customs are a flexible resource and are frequently called upon to work across regions. In addition, regional staff are supplemented by the National Strike Force, a mobile brigade which is deployed on a national basis according to risk. Staff in these teams are allocated an office address for administrative purposes.

Employer Documentation

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the documentation issued by his Department that an employer must complete when he or she takes on his or her first employee, in order to be fully compliant; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: If the employee provides a form P45 showing past pay and tax details, the employer should complete its Part 3 and send it to the Inland Revenue. If there is no form P45, employer and employee should complete a form P46 and send it to the Inland Revenue.
	A new employer also needs to set up a PAYE scheme with the Inland Revenue. He or she does this by supplying the necessary details to a dedicated telephone helpline. The Inland Revenue then issue the employer with a "New Employer's Starter Pack". This contains guidance and documentation that the employer may need to operate PAYE throughout the year. The contents and format of this guidance have been developed in consultation with representatives of employers. The CD-ROM version has been particularly well received.

Lambert Report

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the Government response to the Lambert Report.

John Healey: Richard Lambert published an interim report of his review of higher education-business links on 14 July. This set out a summary of the consultation responses and emerging issues. The Government welcome the emerging findings and expect to receive the final report of the review in the autumn, to which we will respond in due course.

Media Training

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was to his Department of media and voice training for ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: Treasury Ministers and officials have not received voice coaching.
	Media training for Ministers cost £1,199 in 2002–03. No expenditure was incurred in earlier years.
	Officials can attend courses run by CMPS or GIGS which include media training, but these costs are not identified separately in the Department's records.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) foreign and (b) UK visits he has made since 1 April 2003; with the cost to public funds of each; whom he met; and the gifts received.

John Healey: The Government publish the overall costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits overseas by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500 on an annual basis. For the period up to 31 March 2003, I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington (Mr. Plaskitt) on 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 327W. The next list for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 will be published at the end of the financial year.
	In respect of gifts received, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 445W.
	In the UK, the Chancellor visited Aberdeen University in April to receive an honorary degree at a cost of £192, the Carnegie Foundation in Edinburgh in May at no cost, the AMICUS conference in Blackpool in June at a cost of £306, the TGWU conference in Brighton in July at a cost of £42, the Local Government Association conference in Harrogate in July at a cost of £107 and the TUC congress in Brighton in September at a cost of £42.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Public Sector Pensions

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest estimate is of the present value of the liability for payment of pensions to the beneficiaries of unfunded public sector schemes; and what the value would be if the real rate of discount was (a) 3.0 per cent., (b) 2.5 per cent., (c) 2.0 per cent. and (d) the real rate of return on an index-linked stock of similar duration to maturity.

Paul Boateng: The Government Actuary's Department estimate that the liabilities of unfunded public service pension schemes were approximately £380 billion as at 31 March 2002.
	It is not possible to update that figure before the 2002–03 Resource Accounts for public service pension schemes are published. Revaluation of public service pension liabilities using different discount rates could be carried out only at disproportionate cost.

Public Sector Pensions

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in relation to the estimation of the cost of pensions under the Whole of Government Accounts, why it has been decided (a) to issue figures without explanatory notes, and (b) to publish copies of guidance issued to Departments about the estimation of the cost of pensions.

Ruth Kelly: Central Government Accounts will be published for the first time for 2003–04, as part of the phased introduction of Whole of Government Accounts. Central Government Accounts will include the consolidation of the transactions and balances of those public sector pension schemes covered by the Resource Accounting Manual and other central Government accounting guidance. Central Government Accounts will provide a full explanation of the pension figures in both the income and expenditure account and balance sheet.
	The liabilities of the main unfunded public service pension schemes are estimated by the scheme's actuary using assumptions published with the pension scheme accounts, as required by FRS17 and in accordance with the Resource Accounting Manual. Any Departments operating their own unfunded schemes are advised to seek guidance from the Government Actuary's Department on the calculation of the liabilities that should appear in their accounts.
	The Resource Accounting Manual, which contains accounting guidance for Departments on all accounting matters, is publicly available.

Public Sector Pensions

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in relation to the estimation of the cost of pensions under the Whole of Government Accounts, what excess of the discount rate over the rate of price inflation has been applied to future liabilities; and what the typical corresponding rate is that is used by the private sector under FRS17.

Ruth Kelly: Central Government Accounts will be published for the first time for 2003–04, as part of the phased introduction of Whole of Government Accounts. Pension liabilities relating to Government employees reported in Central Government Accounts, which will be published for the first time for 2003–04, are a consolidation of the liabilities reported in the underlying scheme accounts. The real discount rate to be used in these accounts is 3.5 per cent., as advised by the Government Actuary's Department and based on the expected yield on long-term gilts.
	Private sector schemes reporting under FRS17 are required to use a discount rate equal to the yield on an AA-rated bond of equivalent term and currency to the liabilities, if available. One study (by Lane, Clark and Peacock—"Accounting for pensions: annual survey 2003") has found considerable variation in the discount rate adopted—from under 5.4 per cent. to over 6 per cent. with the majority clustered around 5.6 per cent. real. The value of the liabilities increases as the discount rate decreases.

Ships and Aircraft (VAT)

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons ships and aircraft above a certain size are zero-rated for value added tax purposes; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Under long-standing EU VAT agreements, sea-going vessels used for: navigation on the high seas; for the purpose of commercial, industrial or fishing activities; for rescue or assistance at sea; and commercial aircraft used chiefly on international routes are relieved of tax.
	The UK has implemented this by relieving ships and aircraft, not used for recreation or pleasure, from VAT according to their weight. This simple rule provides clarity and certainty for businesses.

Tax Credits

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2003, Official Report, columns 454–55W, on tax credit helplines, how many calls to the working tax credit helpline were expected in the first year of operation; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There was no single forecast of calls or callers to the child and working tax credit helplines.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the total cost of the July 1997 Budget decision to abolish payable tax credits for pension schemes and UK companies for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The estimated effects of the abolition of payable tax credits were published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report in July 1997. The abolition of payable tax credits was part of a wider package of corporation tax reforms, and its actual effects cannot be separately identified.

Tax Credits

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the amount of research and development expenditure incurred by small and medium-sized companies that will qualify for the research and development tax credit in 2000–01.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 September 2003
	There are no published estimates of the amount of research and development expenditure incurred by small and medium-sized companies in 2000–01 that will qualify for the research and development tax credit. We have received over 1,700 claims by small and medium-sized companies relating to R&D expenditure in 2000–01.

VAT Registration Threshold

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses were (a) above and (b) below the VAT registration threshold in each year from 1988–89 to 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested is not available.
	Details of the total number of businesses registered for VAT are published in HM Customs and Excise Annual Reports, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. These figures include registered businesses whose turnover is below the VAT registration threshold, and do not include businesses whose turnover is above the VAT registration threshold who are not registered for VAT. Data are not available for the number of unregistered traders with turnovers below the VAT registration threshold, as they are not required to register for VAT.
	Data are not available on the number of registered traders who are above the threshold. However, VAT Factsheets, published three times a year by Customs, copies of which are available in the Library of the House, show the numbers of VAT-registered traders by turnover bandings.

Registered Maternities

Tony McWalter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many registered maternities there were to women resident in (a) Dacorum, (b) St. Albans, (c) Watford, (d) Hertsmere and (e) Three Rivers local authority districts which took place in (i) Hemel Hempstead General Hospital, (ii) Watford General Hospital, (iii) St. Albans City Hospital, (iv) Mount Vernon Hospital, (v) Barnet General Hospital, (vi) Chase Farm Hospital, (vii) Northwick Park Hospital, (viii) Luton and Dunstable Hospital, (ix) Stoke Mandeville Hospital, (x) Wycombe General Hospital, (xi) other NHS hospitals, (xii) RAF Halton Hospital, (xiii) other non-NHS hospitals, (xiv) at home and (xv) elsewhere in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. McWalter, dated 14 October 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your request for the number of maternities for women resident in (a) Dacorum, (b) St. Albans, (c) Watford, (d) Hertsmere and (e) Three Rivers local authority districts, which took place in the list of hospitals below for the each of the last three years for which figures are available. (131458)
	(i) Hemel Hempstead General Hospital,
	(ii) Watford General Hospital,
	(iii) St. Albans City Hospital
	(iv) Mount Vernon Hospital
	(v) Barnet General Hospital
	(vi) Chase Farm Hospital,
	(vii) Northwick Park Hospital, (viii) Luton and Dunstable Hospital,(ix) Stoke Mandeville Hospital,
	(x) Wycombe General Hospital,(xi) other NHS hospitals,(xii) RAF Halton Hospital,
	(xiii) other non-NHS hospitals,
	(xiv) at home, and
	(xv) elsewhere
	No data are available for RAF Halton hospital as it closed in 1996. Three tables showing data for 2000, 2001 and 2002 for the other hospitals are provided in the attached tables.
	
		Maternities in selected hospitals, for selected areas of usual residence of the mother, 2000
		
			  Place of mother's residence 
			  Dacorum Hertsmere St. Albans Three Rivers Watford 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Place of maternity  
			 (i) Hemel Hempstead General 1,410 12 1,187 63 12 
			 (ii) Watford General 41 488 81 836 1,056 
			 (iii) St. Albans City 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (iv) Mount Vernon Hospital 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (v) Barnet General 0 1 1 0 0 
			 (vi) Chase Farm 0 25 2 0 0 
			 (vii) Northwick Park 4 12 2 14 7 
			 (viii) Luton and Dunstable 19 2 32 1 3 
			 (ix) Stoke Mandeville 132 0 0 1 0 
			 (x) Wycombe General 1 0 0 2 0 
			 (xi) Other NHS 18 573 291 57 24 
			 (xiii) Other Non-NHS 5 27 7 18 2 
			 (xiv) At Home 67 11 75 17 10 
			 (xv) Elsewhere 2 2 0 0 1 
			 Total 1,699 1,153 1,678 1,009 1,115 
		
	
	
		Maternities in selected hospitals, for selected areas of usual residence of the mother, 2001
		
			  Place of mother's residence 
			  Dacorum Hertsmere St. Albans Three Rivers Watford 
		
		
			 Place of maternity  
			 (i) Hemel Hempstead General 1,361 7 1,026 36 7 
			 (ii) Watford General 53 480 108 807 1,055 
			 (iii) St. Albans City 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (iv) Mount Vernon Hospital 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (v) Barnet General 0 1 0 0 0 
			 (vi) Chase Farm 1 19 2 0 0 
			 (vii) Northwick Park 4 6 2 21 6 
			 (viii) Luton and Dunstable 13 1 61 2 2 
			 (ix) Stoke Mandeville 114 1 2 0 0 
			 (x) Wycombe General 2 0 0 4 0 
			 (xi) Other NHS 24 544 373 44 27 
			 (xiii) Other Non-NHS 8 17 14 14 1 
			 (xiiv) At Home 58 9 61 11 8 
			 (xv) Elsewhere 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 1,640 1,085 1,649 939 1,106 
		
	
	
		Maternities in selected hospitals, for selected areas of usual residence of the mother, 2002
		
			  Place of mother's residence 
			  Dacorum Hertsmere St. Albans Three Rivers Watford 
		
		
			 Place of maternity  
			 (i) Hemel Hempstead General 377 3 193 9 1 
			 (ii) Watford General 778 479 598 772 999 
			 (iii) St. Albans City 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (iv) Mount Vernon Hospital 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (v) Barnet General 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (vi) Chase Farm 0 26 2 1 0 
			 (vii) Northwick Park 1 5 1 10 10 
			 (viii) Luton and Dunstable 56 0 198 2 3 
			 (ix) Stoke Mandeville 170 0 0 2 0 
			 (x) Wycombe General 2 0 1 5 0 
			 (xi) Other NHS 52 530 595 54 19 
			 (xiii) Other Non-NHS 5 15 8 13 1 
			 (xiiv) At Home 87 9 69 11 12 
			 (xv) Elsewhere 3 1 0 0 1 
			 Total 1,531 1,068 1,665 879 1,046

Wanless Report

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will publish the report by Derek Wanless on the cost-effectiveness of public health interventions;
	(2)  when he expects to receive the report of Derek Wanless on the cost-effectiveness of public health interventions.

Paul Boateng: Derek Wanless will report to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health early in 2004. It is anticipated that a report will be published shortly afterwards.

Cigarettes

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the limits are on the importation of cigarettes into Britain by individuals who have bought them within the European Union (a) paying the duty levied in the country of purchase and (b) from a duty-free outlet.

John Healey: Since the introduction of the Single Market in 1993, travellers making journeys within the EU have been able to bring back as many duty and tax paid cigarettes as they like, providing they are for their own use. Cigarettes may not be brought into the UK for any form of sale or reimbursement without payment of UK taxes. There are no limits on importations of this kind.
	Travellers bringing back excise goods into the UK may be required to explain to Customs the purposes for which they are holding those goods. EU agreements establish guidelines to help Member States determine whether goods are imported for 'own use' or for commercial purposes, including provision for a minimum indicative level of 800 cigarettes. The UK applies an indicative level of 3200 cigarettes, which is one of the factors Customs will use in assessing travellers' explanations of the purposes for which they are holding excise goods.
	On 1 July 1999, duty and VAT-free sales of goods to intra-EU travellers were abolished, and travellers cannot now make duty-free purchases when travelling between EU Member States.

Transfer Pricing

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 8 September, Official Report, column 103W, what the recovery upon transfer pricing cases of tax, interest and penalties was in each of the years 1999–2000 to 2001–02 arising from (a) LBO led cases and (b) Revenue Policy (International) led cases which taken all together amount to the £1.7 billion referred to in the Commissioners of Inland Revenue's Supplementary Memorandum published in the 29 Report of the Committee of Public Accounts, Session 2002–03, HC 332.

Dawn Primarolo: The recovery from transfer pricing cases was as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			  LBO RP International 
		
		
			 1999–2000 35.1 1.09 
			 2000–2001 55 241.1 
			 2001–2002 87 196.6 
			  Total 1705.8

Aggregates Levy/Landfill Tax

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been lost to the National Insurance Fund by reductions in contributions by employers to compensate for the aggregates levy and landfill tax, in each year since they were introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: The reduction in contributions to the National Insurance Fund to compensate for the aggregates levy is £0.4 billion in 2002–03 and estimated to be £0.4 billion in 2003–04. These figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 billion.
	It is not possible to calculate the effects of the compensation for the landfill tax on the NIF due to the structural changes to secondary NICs in 1999.

Affordable Warmth Programme

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to public funds in terms of tax receipts forgone was of the affordable warmth programme in each year since its introduction.

John Healey: The Finance Act 2000 made capital allowances available specifically for spending on equipment for leasing under an approved affordable warmth programme, a Government administered scheme which aims to support the installation of efficient central heating systems in up to 1 million low income homes over five years. Finance for the programme is provided by commercial leasing packages, administered through local authorities, with Transco (the pipeline arm of British Gas plc) guaranteeing the residual value of the installed equipment.
	The estimated cost to the Exchequer of capital allowances for approved affordable warmth programmes is given in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2003 [HC 500].

Air Quality

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to create fiscal incentives for cleaner vehicles by co-ordinating rates of taxation on benefits-in-kind with the Government's Air Quality policies.

John Healey: It has been a long-standing policy of the Governments to introduce cost-effective measures to help reduce the impact that transport has on the environment.
	To incentivise cleaner cars, the Government have introduced emission-based reforms for graduated company car tax and fuel scale charges—the charge on free fuel provided for employees. These CO2-based benefit-in-kind taxes have helped reward the purchase of cleaner cars and the progress made is reflected in the 3.75 per cent. fall in average CO2 emissions of new cars between 2000 and 2002.
	In addition to progress on CO2, local air pollution has improved dramatically with falls in emissions of particulates and NOx from new vehicles, for example new cars now produce in the region of 90 per cent. less pollutants than those manufactured 20 years ago. This has been driven by successively tougher emissions standards for new cars and given that company cars are generally less than two years old, means they are delivering air quality improvements. To help facilitate this progress, the Government have incorporated air quality incentives into the company car tax regime. There are discounts for cars that use alternative fuels and technologies, for example road fuel gases, and supplements for diesel cars in recognition of their higher emissions of pollutants that damage local air quality. This approach helps ensure there are benefits for the drivers of the very cleanest cars along with benefits for the environment.
	Furthermore, to provide incentives for the use of alternatives to the car, in 1998 the Government announced a package of measures, which included removal of benefits-in-kind charges on employer-provided works buses and on public bus subsidies, and new reliefs for commuter and business cycling.

ASPIRE Programme

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 96W, on the ASPIRE programme, if he will list the potential suppliers with whom the Inland Revenue had engaged in a market-making exercise as part of its plan for the ASPIRE project, indicating in each case whether Inland Revenue or the supplier approached the other first in this matter; when the market-making exercise was (a) conceived by Inland Revenue, (b) launched with these potential suppliers and (c) completed; and how much (i) tax, (ii) interest and (iii) in penalties had been recovered from the suppliers as a whole as a consequence of Inland Revenue compliance activities in the 36 months leading up to the launch with these potential suppliers of the market-making exercise.

Dawn Primarolo: The potential suppliers the Inland Revenue engaged with as part of the market making exercise for the ASPIRE project were:
	Accenture
	American Management Systems (AMS)
	Capita
	Cap Gemini Ernst and Young (CGEY)
	Computer Science Corporation (CSC)
	Electronic Data Services (EDS)
	Hewlett Packard (HP)
	International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
	Fujitsu Services
	CMG Logica
	Microsoft
	PWC Consulting
	Science Application International Corporation (SAIC)
	Schlumberger Sema
	In all cases, the Inland Revenue made the first approach.
	The Market Making exercise was conceived by the Inland Revenue between August and October 2001, and was launched on 31 October 2001. The exercise continued until 10 May 2002—the closing date for responding to the OJEC notice for the competition. Not all of the potential suppliers responded to the OJEC notice. In addition, an open meeting was held for all interested suppliers on 7 March 2002, which was attended by 42 potential suppliers.
	It is a long-standing principle that information provided to the Inland Revenue for tax purposes is treated as confidential and not disclosed to anyone else without the taxpayer's consent. Exceptions to the principle arise only in very restricted circumstances, such as orders by the court to provide information or where Parliament has sanctioned disclosure by specific statutory provisions. There are statutory provisions to ensure confidentiality of taxpayer information and any unauthorised disclosure is a criminal offence. It is for these reasons that I am unable to provide the hon. Member with the information that the hon. Member seeks on these companies.

ASPIRE Programme

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 8th September, Official Report, column 103W, what criteria were set for the payment of performance related pay in the years 1999–2000 to 2002–03 to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue or their officers, in support of Project ASPIRE or its antecedents.

Dawn Primarolo: For staff in departmental (grades) pay bands payment of performance pay was dependent upon satisfactory performance measured against an individual's performance agreement. Each performance agreement sets out an individual's key responsibilities and objectives relative to ASPIRE and any other key business objectives they may have had for the years in question. The performance and contribution of the commissioners and other staff in the Senior Civil Service is additionally assessed in relation to that of others in the same pay band.

Baby Bonds

Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the scheme for baby bonds; and when he expects that they will be available for children in Redcar.

Ruth Kelly: The Child Trust Fund is intended to encourage parents and children to develop the savings habit. It will ensure that every child, whatever their family background, will have access at the age of 18 when they begin their adult life, to a stock of assets which they can invest in their future.
	It will also help children and their parents to understand the benefits of saving and investment and how to engage with financial institutions.
	Detailed proposals covering the nature of the Child Trust Fund, how it will operate and the information and guidance that will be provided will be published shortly.

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for UK entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for UK entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency.

Ruth Kelly: Details of expenditure on changeover planning were included in the third outline National Changeover Plan, published on 9 June 2003. Copies of the document are in the Library of the House.
	It is difficult to estimate with any accuracy how much any changeover would cost. It would depend on the approach taken. In particular, many IT systems will be euro compatible as a result of ongoing modernisation programmes, which would reduce the costs of any euro changeover.

Euro

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many speeches he has made since 1 June 2003 concerning the euro.

Ruth Kelly: Ministers are holding a series of meetings around the country campaigning for a pro-European consensus.

Financial Services Authority

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority on their discussion paper DP20, with particular reference to mutual organisations; [R]
	(2)  what representations he has received on the Financial Services Authority's proposed reforms to with-profits products and access to capital for mutual insurers and friendly societies; and what impact these proposals will have on mutual organisations. [R]

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury has received a number of representations on the proposed reforms to with-profits. Officials have discussed a number of issues relating to these proposals with both individual life insurance companies, including mutual life offices, and the FSA. Clearly any decision on taking forward these reforms is a matter for the FSA.

Illegal Meat Importation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions have been made regarding the illegal importation of meat identified by Customs and Excise sniffer dogs in the last five years; and how many of those have resulted in successful convictions.

John Healey: HM Customs and Excise took over responsibility for anti-smuggling controls on products of animal origin from Defra on 11 April 2003. The two Defra meat detector dogs and handlers transferred to HM Customs and Excise on 1 May.
	None of Customs' seizures of illegal meat since 11 April have resulted in prosecution action.

Income Tax

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what he estimates the effect on current receipts would have been in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05, (c) 2005–06, (d) 2006–07 and (e) 2007–08 if the income tax system had been changed such that (i) the basic rate limit for 2003–04 had been set at £45,385, increasing thereafter in accordance with the normal indexation procedure, (ii) the higher rate of income tax applicable to taxable income above a basic rate limit of £45,385 in 2003–04 and an indexed level thereafter had been set at 50 per cent. in 2003–04 and all subsequent years and (iii) a 60 per cent. marginal rate of income tax had been applied to annual income above £100,000 in 2003–04, with this threshold being indexed in accordance with the normal procedure thereafter; and if he will set out the assumptions concerning changes to economic behaviour, including (A) hours worked by people in different income brackets, (B) changes in consumption levels and (C) decisions on country location taken by companies and individuals that inform this calculation;
	(2)  if he will estimate the effect of introducing a 60 per cent. marginal rate of income tax on annual income above £100,000 on (a) GDP and (b) current receipts after (i) one year, (ii) five years and (iii) 10 years; and if he will set out the assumptions on which the calculation is based.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 3 July 2003
	We have compiled comprehensive information on income tax which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Individual Learning Accounts

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Exchequer in terms of tax receipts forgone was of the individual learning accounts introduced in the 1999 budget in each year since introduction.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 15 September 2003, Official Report, columns 594–95W.

Inland Revenue

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what properties the Inland Revenue owns; what properties have been sold by the Inland Revenue since May 1997 other than to Mapeley Steps Ltd.; and when they were sold.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue owns: Sheraton House, Skinner Street, Stockton (which is in the process of being sold); and the freehold of Darwin House, Shrewsbury—a historic building—let on a 175 year lease to Mapeley STEPS Ltd.
	The properties sold since 1997, other than to Mapeley STEPS Ltd. are listed as follows.
	Dundonald House, Bexhill on Sea—March 1998
	Stuart House, Edinburgh—January 1999 1
	Montrose House, Glasgow—January 1998 1
	Highland House, Manchester—November 1998 1
	Holborn House, Stockport—January 1999 1
	55–59 Wilson Patten Street, Warrington—January 2000
	St. Johns House, Bootle—August 2000 1
	Government Buildings, Oxford—December 2000
	23, Piccadilly, York—March 2001 2
	Rutland House, Bradford—March 2001 2
	6 Dormer Place, Leamington Spa—August 2002
	1 These buildings were sold as part of individual building PFI contracts negotiated prior to the Mapeley contract and therefore not included as part of the Mapeley deal. 2 These buildings were transferred to Mapeley STEPS Contractor Ltd.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the money set aside to support the invasion of Iraq has been spent to date; and what plans he has to increase the funds available to support activities in Iraq.

John MacDougall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the most recent estimate is of the cost of the war with Iraq in 2003.

Adrian Flook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the cost of deployments to Iraq in (a) this financial year and (b) each of the next three financial years.

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost to the UK of (a) the conflict in Iraq and (b) the occupation since the end of hostilities; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the most recent estimate is of the cost of the recent conflict in Iraq.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 17 September 2003
	As the Chancellor said in his 2003 Budget statement,
	"I can confirm that I have set aside £3 billion, in a special reserve available to the Ministry of Defence so that our troops continue to be properly equipped and given the resources that they deserve and have a right to expect." [9 April 2003, Official Report, column 271].
	It is too early to provide total costs of the military campaign in Iraq. However, the Ministry of Defence estimate for the preparatory phase, up to the point military operations began, at around £700 million.

Landfill Tax Credit Scheme

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to include furniture recycling projects in the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.

John Healey: There are no such plans. From 1 April funding for sustainable waste management projects was removed from the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and is now the responsibility of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Local Authorities: Euro Preparations Guidance

David Ruffley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost for each local authority in the East of England of implementing the guidance contained in Local Authorities: Euro Preparations Guidance—Part 1, June 2003.

Ruth Kelly: We expect no significant costs to local authorities at this stage. Local authorities would have a critical role to play during any changeover and as part of sensible business planning, in line with preparations in the wider public sector and across the economy, the guidance recommends that they should make preparations. All the evidence from the euro area suggests that early planning can significantly reduce costs.

Penrose Report

David Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to receive Lord Penrose's report on Equitable Life.

Ruth Kelly: The timetable for his report is a matter for Lord Penrose. Lord Penrose remains committed to producing his report as soon as he properly can.

Events (Ministerial Attendance)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the (a) sports events, (b) arts events, (c) broadcasting events, (d) tourism events and (e) museums and galleries she has attended since 1 November 2002.

Tessa Jowell: The number of events attended since 1 November 2002, is given in the following list:
	Sporting:
	8 December 2002 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
	1 January 2003 Arsenal v Chelsea @ Highbury
	12 February 2003 England v Australia @ Upton Park
	16 March 2003 World Indoor Athletics Championships
	13 April 2003 London Marathon Opening.
	Arts:
	19 November 2002: A Streetcar Named Desire.
	10 November 2002: Twelfth Night @ Donmar Warehouse.
	15 December 2002: Mahler 2 @ Royal Festival Hall.
	21 December 2002: The Wind in the Willows @ Linbury Studio.
	23 December 2002: The Merry Wives of Windsor @ RSC Swan Theatre.
	28 January 2003: The Rite of Spring @ Treptow Arena
	10 February 2003: The Vortex @ Donmar Warehouse.
	15 May 2003: Henry V @ National Theatre.
	20 May 2003: Winters Tale @ Roundhouse
	28 June 2003: The Lady from the Sea @ The Almeida Theatre
	Broadcasting:
	6 February 2003: Launch of BBC 3.
	23 February 2003: BAFTAS
	13 May 2003: Thirty Club Dinner
	16 May 2003: Cannes Film Festival: Calendar Girls.
	Tourism:
	7 November 2002: Tourism Forum @ Tate Modern
	4 February 2003: Cumbria: CBI Dinner
	5 February 2003: BTA Breakfast.
	22 May 2003: Tourism Breakfast @ Claridges
	Museums and Galleries:
	17 December 2002: The Soul of the Homeless @ Museum of London.
	3 February 2003: Constable to Lacroix @ Tate Britain.
	17 March 2003: Duhrer Exh. @ British Museum.
	25 March 2003: Titan Exhibition @ The National Gallery.
	17 March 2003: Roundhouse Theatre Event
	3 April 2003: British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
	28 April 2003: Built Heritage Foundation, Shoreditch.
	28 April 2003: Elizabeth @ National Maritime Museum.
	The list includes events attended up to the start of the summer parliamentary recess 2003.

National Insurance Contributions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he received on the decision to remove the concession on Class 1 national insurance contributions applicable to mariners working on UK and Isle of Man registered ships where such ships never enter or trade in UK territorial waters (a) before and (b) after the decision was announced; what discussions he has held on the matter; what estimate he has made of the net revenue effect of this change to (i) receipts by Her Majesty's Treasury and (ii) seafarers and mariners registered as UK citizens; and what estimate he has made of the effect of this change on the (A) international competitiveness of the UK/Isle of Man shipping industry and (B) future numbers of UK citizens employed in the industry.

Dawn Primarolo: None. The changes announced were in relation to ships trading in UK waters, not international shipping.

PAYE

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 57W, on PAYE schemes with one or two employees, how many such schemes there were for each year from 1999–2000 onwards for companies only, excluding unincorporated businesses.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is in the table.
	
		
			 PAYE schemes live at April: Number of PAYE schemes with one or two employees(1),(2),(3) 
		
		
			 2003 396,000 
			 2002 366,000 
			 2001 353,000 
			 2000 334,000 
		
	
	(1) Companies only.
	(2) Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
	(3) Schemes live at a particular date have been classified by the number of employees shown on the most recent end-of-year returns submitted by employers. The number of employees may not be available for newly set up schemes at each of these dates.

Pensioners (Tax Rates)

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners pay tax at a marginal rate of 40 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: An estimated 190,000 state retirement age pensioners pay tax at a marginal rate of 40 per cent. in 2003–04.
	This estimate is based upon the 2000–01 Survey of Personal Incomes and is consistent with April Budget 2003.

Reduced VAT Rate (Energy Saving Materials)

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Exchequer was of the reduced rate of VAT on energy saving materials in each year since 1998; and what effect the extension had on these sums in each year from 2000.

John Healey: Estimates of the revenue cost of the reduced rate of VAT for energy saving materials measures for the years 1998–99 to 2000–01 were published in Table 1.3 of the 1998 Financial Statement and Budget Report [HC 620]. It is estimated to have the same full-year cost in subsequent years.
	Estimates of the additional cost for the years 2000–01 to 2002–03 of extending the measure in Budget 2000 were published in the 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report [HC 346].

Urban Regeneration Cost

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Exchequer has been of the four measures to regenerate Britain's towns and cities announced on 8 November 2000 and introduced in the 2001 Budget.

Dawn Primarolo: Costs of major tax reliefs can be found in Table A3.1 of the 2003 Financial Statement and Budget Report and in the Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs. Costs of minor tax reliefs can be found on the Inland Revenue website.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister is responsible for the implementation of stamp duty land tax.

Ruth Kelly: I am.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he will publish (a) the results of the consultation on the reform of stamp duty land tax affecting commercial leases and (b) revisions to the Government's proposals.

Ruth Kelly: We expect to publish shortly.

Tax Credits

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were seconded to work on working families tax credit, broken down by Government department; how many of those staff are still seconded to work on the working family tax credit; what arrangements were made to cover the work previously being undertaken by staff who were seconded; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: A number of staff have been seconded to Inland Revenue from other Government Departments in recent years, including from the former Department of Social Security and the Department for Work and Pensions. However, I regret that information is not held centrally on their areas of work.

Tax Incentives

Robert Walter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to implement tax incentives for companies who allow members of staff to work from home; and what assessment he has made of the impact this would have on traffic congestion.

Dawn Primarolo: Companies can usually claim any expenses wholly and exclusively incurred in respect of employees' home working as a deduction in working out their trading profits for tax purposes.
	In addition, a number of measures have been introduced in recent years to help employers support home workers without them incurring a tax charge or liability to pay National Insurance contributions. These include:
	exemption for provided computer equipment;
	exemption for other provided equipment, services and supplies;
	exemption for reimbursed additional household costs.
	Estimates of the effects these measures will have on reducing levels of traffic congestion are not available.

Tax Liability (Company Car Benefit)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was generated from duties on company car benefit in kind in each financial year since 2000–01.

Dawn Primarolo: Latest estimates of the tax liability on company car benefit are available on the Inland Revenue's website at: http://www.inlandrevenue.gov. uk/stats/taxable benefits/tbikaep t05 1htm

Tax Relief (Employee-loaned Computers)

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 754W, on tax relief on employee-loaned computers, whether the information requested has been collected from employers.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 15 September 2003, Official Report, columns 592–93W.

Trading Fund Models

Helen Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2003, Official Report, column 276W, on trading fund models, if he will make it his policy to require Government agencies operating on a trading fund model to report the amounts of their turnover provided by sales to (a) Government Departments and Government agencies, (b) private sector customers and (c) value added resellers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will require Ordnance Survey to publish in its Annual Report the breakdown of its turnover of between sales (a) to Government Departments and Government agencies, (b) to private sector customers and (c) to value-added resellers; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Trading funds prepare their accounts in accordance with the requirements of "Trading Funds: Accounts Guidance issued by HM Treasury". These requirements comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in the United Kingdom (UK GAAP) to the extent that this is meaningful and appropriate in the public sector context. UK GAAP includes pronouncements by the Accounting Standards Board, one of which (Statement of Standard Accounting Practice 25) requires the disclosure of turnover by class of business or geographical segment where the body operates in more than one class of business or geographical segment. In line with the provisions of SSAP 25, it is for the management of the trading fund to define the appropriate class of business or geographical segments. In addition, where a trading fund provides different services as defined in the "Fees and Charges Guide" (also issued by HM Treasury), the Guide requires information about the performance of each service—including details of the turnover—to be disclosed.
	There are currently no plans to extend the disclosure requirements for trading funds (either in general or in specific cases) beyond those of SSAP 25 and the "Fees and Charges Guide".

VAT (Church Repairs)

David Ruffley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Commission regarding the level at which VAT is levied on church repairs in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 September to the hon. Member for Warrington North (Helen Jones) Official Report, column 466W.

War Debt

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the schedule is for repayments to the USA of War Debt incurred by Britain during and in the aftermath of the Second World War, including the line of credit and the lend-lease loan.

Ruth Kelly: The schedule for the repayments of interest and principal sums outstanding on the Second World War agreement for a line of credit and a lend-lease loan facility with the United States Government are as follows:
	
		
			  US$ million 
		
		
			 December 2003 148 
			 December 2004 145 
			 December 2005 142 
			 December 2006 83

DEFENCE

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 8 May 2003
	One offence has been created in legislation sponsored by the Ministry of Defence since 1997. The Armed Forces Act 2001 included powers, in relation to persons subject to Service law, to test for alcohol or drugs after a serious incident and created the offence of failing to provide a sample in such circumstances.

European Security Policy

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what part the development of a research-linked European security policy will play in future British security policy.

Geoff Hoon: The European Commission has yet to define precisely the content of its proposed "Preparatory Action on the enhancement of European industrial potential in the field of security research". It is therefore too early to assess whether any security research programme emerging from this will influence British defence or security policies.

Far East Civilian Survivors

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to extend ex gratia compensation payments to Far East British civilian survivors of the Second World War who cannot prove a bloodlink; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The eligibility criterion for the ex gratia payment scheme requires that Civilian Internees of the Japanese during the Second World War were British subjects who had been born or had a parent or grandparent born in the United Kingdom. This criterion has been thoroughly examined by the courts, including the Court of Appeal, and confirmed.

Friendly Fire

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what inquiries are being conducted in the United Kingdom armed forces into the Friendly Fire incidents of the recent Gulf conflict; whether US personnel (a) participated in and (b) have been denied permission to participate in the inquiries; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 September 2003
	The United Kingdom armed forces thoroughly investigate all suspected incidents of Friendly Fire. Depending on the type of incident, investigations may be undertaken by a variety of agencies. This could include Royal Military Police, the Land Accident Prevention Investigation Team, Boards of Inquiry or Unit Inquiry Teams.
	United States personnel have had observer status for UK investigations where relevant. The UK and the US have also jointly interviewed witnesses where possible and necessary. Further, a UK representative sits on the US-led Board of Inquiry into the incident suspected of involving an RAF Tornado and a Patriot Missile. For the incident suspected of involving a UK Scimitar and a US A-10, a joint UK/US, US-led inquiry has been held and UK representatives sat on the inquiry board. We are not aware of any further Friendly Fire incidents that may have involved UK and US personnel. There is no indication that the evidence of any US personnel has been withheld from UK representatives or that US personnel have been denied permission to participate in the inquiries.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraqi civilians have been killed by United Kingdom or United States military forces in (a) Iraq and (b) Baghdad since the end of the conflict in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: We make every effort to minimise the impact of military operations on the Iraqi civilian population. We have no reliable means of ascertaining the numbers of civilians killed by United Kingdom Forces since the conflict ended.

Iraq

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) small arms and (b) heavy weapons have been (i) confiscated and (ii) destroyed by UK forces since cessation of hostilities in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: We did not centrally record the numbers of weapons confiscated or destroyed before 10 May 2003. Since then, as of 24 September, over 3,100 small arms and 450 heavy weapons (rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and man-portable air-defence missile systems) have been confiscated by forces of the Multinational Division under United Kingdom Command. We do not separately record the numbers destroyed. Excellent progress also continues to be made in the broader task of munitions clearance.

Kenya (Rape Allegations)

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress in investigating allegations made by women in Kenya that they were raped by British soldiers.

Adam Ingram: The Special Investigation Branch (SIB) of the Royal Military Police is currently engaged in a major criminal investigation into these allegations. A major incident room has been established in the UK and the investigation team has visited Kenya a number of times in recent months to examine Kenyan police records and to interview alleged victims. The SIB continues to act with the full support of the Kenyan authorities. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the investigation remains on-going.

Microsoft (Licensing Fees)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Ivor Caplin: The total expenditure on Microsoft licensing fees is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost; however the Defence Communication Services Agency holds some information on expenditure and this is set out as follows. As the DCSA has steadily taken on responsibility for more of the MOD's IT over the last three years, the early figures should be viewed as representing only a share of MOD's total expenditure. The later figures encompass an increasingly high proportion of it (though still not all).
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 15.06 
			 2002–03 21.35 
			 2003–04 25.87 
		
	
	£17 million per year has been allocated for a future agreement and negotiations are under way at present. Due to these negotiations it would not be appropriate to give further information on future budgeting and it is therefore withheld under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

MOD Housing

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his policy that members of the armed services are responsible for payment of repairs to buildings, following a burst water tank, when they are the key holder of Ministry of Defence housing.

Ivor Caplin: Military personnel occupy Service Families' Accommodation under a contractual licence and have a general obligation to report structural defects including leaks or water tank bursts. Where damage to the fabric of the building occurs through negligence on the part of the licensee, the terms of the licence allow the staff of the Defence Housing Executive to raise charges in respect of the cost of repairs.

Non-Combatant Deaths

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to reduce the number of non-combatant deaths of armed forces personnel.

Adam Ingram: We take non-combatant deaths, which can occur in a range of circumstances, very seriously. Road Traffic Accidents account for the majority of non-combat deaths, and the Ministry of Defence operates a number of road safety campaigns to increase awareness of risks on the road.
	Another significant contributor to non-combat deaths is disease, to which members of the Armed Forces are as susceptible as the general public. But as part of the Defence Health Programme we are creating a health promotion strategy to co-ordinate work already in hand within each of the three Services. Through an emphasis on fitness and proper nutrition, together with increased availability of health advice and access to treatment, we aim to reduce the instance of disease-related deaths. Fewer than one in 20 non-combat deaths throughout the armed forces last year were ruled by the coroner as suicides or open verdicts. Through a tri-Service Suicide and Self-harm Prevention Working Group we are developing a more cohesive Armed Forces suicide and deliberate self-harm prevention policy. Other measures include the bench-marking of prevention measures with the NHS, HM Prison Service and other nations, and the development of a Stress Policy. Moreover, personnel are trained to be on the alert for signs of depression, altered behaviour and other possible indicators of self-harm. Further studies are planned into the identification of factors which may indicate greater risk of self-harm and suicide.

QinetiQ

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implementation of the long term partnering agreements on QinetiQ.

Ivor Caplin: The Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) between the Ministry of Defence and QinetiQ came into effect on 1 April 2003. Under the Agreement, MOD retains ownership of its ranges and QinetiQ operates them on behalf of the Department to provide MOD with a long term test and evaluation capability.
	The LTPA is worth up to £5.6 billion to QinetiQ and is expected to deliver savings to the MOD of around £700 million (at current prices).

Absent Without Leave

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 11 July 2003, Official Report, column 1033W, on trained personnel, how many of the service personnel who went absent without leave in each year were dismissed from each service.

Ivor Caplin: Available information is shown in the table. Please note that as data are captured using different methods for each of the three Services, the given figures are not directly comparable on a Tri-Service basis.
	Figures are based only on trained personnel and have been rounded to prevent accidental disclosure of sensitive personal data.
	The figures in this answer will differ from those given by my hon. Friend for Kirkcaldy (Dr. Moonie) in his answer of 7 January 2003, Official Report, columns 40–42W as AWOL figures for those under training were included at that time.
	
		Naval Service(4),(5)The Naval Service figures for the period 1 January–31 December
		
			  Number reported AWOL Number dismissed from the Service(5) 
		
		
			 1998 25 10 
			 1999 35 5 
			 2000 50 5 
			 2001 85 10 
			 2002 90 5 
		
	
	(4) These figures relate to Royal Navy only so do not include Royal Marines.
	(5) Those dismissed at court-martial or additionally, for the Naval Service only, at Summary Trial under warrant punishment system, as the result of a (or several) discipline offence(s). For the Naval Service dismissals the dismissal may not be solely due to the AWOL offence although one of the recorded offences was AWOL. They do not include personnel who were recorded as AWOL and later dismissed at a hearing with AWOL not recorded as an offence. In the case of the Army there are figures for the number of soldiers who have been court-martialled for going AWOL and then a third set of figures for those who have been subsequently dismissed as a direct result of the court-martial. The RAF figures are those personnel reported as AWOL and later dismissed for any reason.
	
		Army(6),(7),(8)
		
			 Financial year Number reported AWOL(7) Number court-martialled for going AWOL(6) Number dismissed from the Service(6) 
		
		
			 1998–99 1,400 90 45 
			 1999–2000 1,665 100 50 
			 2000–01 1,850 115 50 
			 2001–02 1,655 120 45 
			 2002–03(8) 1,685 125 65 
		
	
	(6) Those dismissed at court-martial or additionally, for the Naval Service only, at Summary Trial under warrant punishment system, as the result of a (or several) discipline offence(s). For the Naval Service dismissals the dismissal may not be solely due to the AWOL offence although one of the recorded offences was AWOL. They do not include personnel who were recorded as AWOL and later dismissed at a hearing with AWOL not recorded as an offence. In the case of the Army there are figures for the number of soldiers who have been court-martialled for going AWOL and then a third set of figures for those who have been subsequently dismissed as a direct result of the court-martial. The RAF figures are those personnel reported as AWOL and later dismissed for any reason.
	(7) The AWOL figures differ from the answer given in my answer of 11 July 2003, Official Report, column 1033W, due to belated absence publications being actioned or the cancellation of some absences.
	(8) Army and RAF dismissal figures for 2002–03 are subject to any unresolved disciplinary actions.
	
		Royal Air Force(9),(10)
		
			 Financial year Number reported AWOL Number dismissed from the Service(9) 
		
		
			 1998/99 20 0 
			 1999/2000 20 0 
			 2000/01 20 (11)—  
			 2001/02 15 (11)— 
			 2002/03(10) 25 (11)— 
		
	
	(9) Those dismissed at court-martial or additionally, for the Naval Service only, at Summary Trial under warrant punishment system, as the result of a (or several) discipline offence(s). For the Naval Service dismissals the dismissal may not be solely due to the AWOL offence although one of the recorded offences was AWOL. They do not include personnel who were recorded as AWOL and later dismissed at a hearing with AWOL not recorded as an offence. In the case of the Army there are figures for the number of soldiers who have been court-martialled for going AWOL and then a third set of figures for those who have been subsequently dismissed as a direct result of the court-martial. The RAF figures are those personnel reported as AWOL and later dismissed for any reason.
	(10) Army and RAF dismissal figures for 2002–03 are subject to any unresolved disciplinary actions.
	(11) denotes less than five

War Graves (Belfast)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the war graves headstones which had been vandalised at Belfast City Cemetery have now been re-instated; and whether those which were beyond repair were replaced.

Ivor Caplin: Yes. Following a visit by the Director General of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in autumn 2002 it was agreed with the Lord Mayor of Belfast and City officials to re-erect the headstones. To date some 30 headstones have been re-erected and a further 180 replacements are on order and should be replaced on the graves this autumn. The remaining undamaged original headstones, which have been kept in storage, are currently being examined with a view to their reuse.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Al Qaeda

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest assessment is of the risk of terrorist attack by al Qaeda against the United Kingdom.

David Blunkett: I have been asked to reply.
	The threat from international terrorism in the United Kingdom and to United Kingdom interests worldwide remains real and has not changed from the level that it reached immediately after 11 September 2001. It is kept under constant review.

CABINET OFFICE

Electronic Red Boxes

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many electronic red boxes are in use; what has been the total cost of introducing such boxes; and what savings have resulted.

Douglas Alexander: In 1998, the Defence Research Agency developed a prototype electronic red box to test security and technology features. I am informed that the cost was approximately £1,000. After ministerial trials, the prototype was not rolled out because evaluation found that it would not have significantly improved the efficiency of the management of ministerial business at that time. We continue to explore alternative methods of electronic working such as remote connection to the Government Secure Intranet and Smart Card technology.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Computer Security

Vincent Cable: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how much has been (a) budgeted and (b) spent since April 2002 on (i) combating computer fraud, (ii) preventing theft of computers and (iii) safeguarding the security of information held on computer; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: holding answer 16 September 2003
	As a matter of policy the Commission does not comment on details of, or expenditure on, security arrangements. However, I can reassure my hon. Friend that current security arrangements include a high profile security presence, internal audit of procedures, security tagging of equipment supplied by the House and an in-house IT Security Officer. In addition to this, firewalls, anti-virus software, data encryption for Virtual Private Network access to parliamentary data, and password protection of systems form part of the software-based security arrangements.
	In order to maintain the level of protection, PCD is preparing an IT Security Programme, which will address recommendations made by the IT Security Officer following an audit carried out by security consultants.
	I would also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for North-East Hampshire (Mr. Arbuthnot) on 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 501W.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Advocacy (National Standards)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General how the CPS has revised its National Standards of Advocacy; and which areas employ full-time advocacy assessors and trainers to ensure that CPS advocates meet those standards.

Harriet Harman: The Crown Prosecution Service regularly revises and publishes National Standards of Advocacy, usually every three years. The standards outline behaviours and practices that are expected of advocates who represent the Crown.
	This year the standards have been revised to take account of the increased commitment of the Crown Prosecution Service to the care of victims and witnesses; the increased role of Crown advocates in the higher courts and the need to increase public confidence in the criminal justice system as a whole in line with the Public Service Agreement target.
	All Crown Prosecution Service in-house advocates are annually appraised through the performance appraisal system by their line managers. This is most often done by way of observation in court by managers. However, some areas, currently London, Thames Valley and West Yorkshire, employ full-time advocacy inspectors and trainers who observe all the Area's advocates regularly throughout the year and give feedback on performance to the individual as well as their managers.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former care workers in children's homes and institutions have been investigated for child abuse in Merseyside in the past five years; and how many of those individuals were (a) charged, (b) convicted and (c) acquitted.

Paul Goggins: I understand from the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police that, since Operation Care began in 1996, 541 employees connected with care homes have been the subject of allegations of child abuse. Of these, 98 were arrested, of whom 36 were subsequently convicted in court, 24 after pleading guilty. Nine employees were acquitted and the remainder had proceedings against them discontinued, either before or after being charged, for a variety of reasons, including poor health.

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will adopt the recommendation by the Home Affairs Committee that resources be channelled into researching and piloting the use of statement validity analysis as a tool for evaluating the credibility of witness testimony in complex historical child abuse cases.

Paul Goggins: The Government's response to the Home Affairs Committee's report supported this recommendation, while noting that statement validity analysis is only one of a range of techniques available.
	We are aware that the Association of Chief Police Officers' Investigative Interviewing Group, which aims to develop and assist the implementation of a national investigative interview strategy, are in the process of preparing advice to police forces on a number of techniques, including statement validity analysis.
	We will consider this advice in future decisions about resourcing research.

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if the Government will adopt the Home Affairs Committee's recommendation that the prosecution of offences relating to child abuse, which is alleged to have occurred over 10 years since the date of the offence, should only proceed with the court's permission, and that the time period does not begin until the complainant has reached age 21 years;
	(2)  whether there is a time limit on the number of years after the alleged offence that a child abuser can be prosecuted.

Paul Goggins: There is in general no restriction on the time that may elapse between the commission of an offence and commencement of prosecution. Either way offences, which can be tried either in a magistrates court or in the Crown Court, and indictable only offences, which must be tried in the Crown Court, can normally be prosecuted at any time. There are statutory provisions prohibiting proceedings in respect of certain such offences once a specified time has elapsed. An example is contained in the Sexual Offences Act 1956, which provides that prosecutions for unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 must be commenced within 12 months of the offence. If no time limit is set out in legislation in respect of any either way or indictable-only offence, then the general rule applies, and prosecutions may be commenced however long ago the relevant events occurred.
	In their October 2002 report on the investigation of historical abuse cases, the Home Affairs Committee agreed that the prosecution of offences relating to child abuse should not be time-barred.
	The Government do not support the Committee's recommendation that the prosecution of offences relating to child abuse, which is alleged to have occurred over 10 years since the date of the offence, should only proceed with the court's permission, and that the time period should not begin until the complainant has reached age 21 years. It is the role of the Crown Prosecution Service to consider each individual case, and whether there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. One of the factors to be considered is any delay in reporting a crime and the reasons for that delay. We cannot see a good reason to change the current system.

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications have been received by the Criminal Cases Review Commission from those convicted of abuse in care homes in each year from 1997 to 2003.

Paul Goggins: The Criminal Cases Review Commission has recorded the following applications from those convicted of abuse in care homes.
	
		
			  Number of abuse applications 
		
		
			 1997 1 
			 1998 1 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 5 
			 2001 8 
			 2002 7 
			 January to August 2003 3 
			 Total 26

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the factors underlying the take-up rate, in historical child abuse cases, of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Paul Goggins: None.

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority will conduct a review of the accessability of its scheme to victims of past institutional child abuse.

Paul Goggins: I would refer the my hon. Friend to the response given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary in April 2003 to the Fourth Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2001–02 HC 836 on The Conduct of Investigations into Past Cases of Abuse in Children's Homes (column 5799). Paragraphs 71 and 72 of that response addressed a recommendation about the accessibility of the scheme to victims of past institutional child abuse.

Confiscated Assets

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value is of criminals' assets recovered by the Assets Recovery Agency since its launch.

Caroline Flint: I understand from the Director of the Assets Recovery Agency that, since the agency became operational on 24 February 2003, it has not yet recovered any criminal assets. However, the total value of assets under investigation exceeds £17 million in 33 cases, of which some £10 million is currently frozen under court orders in nine cases pending hearings for recovery orders. In addition, one tax assessment has been issued under Part 6 of the Proceeds of Crime Act for tax in excess of £250,000. The agency has also provided assistance to law enforcement agencies in 11 confiscation order cases raised under the previous legislation with a total value of £3.25 million.
	The confiscation powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are triggered by offences committed after the provisions were brought into force on 24 March 2003, so it will be a while before cases are dealt with by the Crown court in numbers. As of 31 August, six confiscation orders with a value of just under £120,000 have been made against convicted offenders in England and Wales. The value of cash seizures made under the new powers in the Act which came into effect on 30 December 2002 is over £34 million. 18 restraint orders have also been made on assets with a value of over £4 million. The Enforcement Task Force, in operation since last December, has enforced 248 confiscation orders made under the old legislation with a total value of £14.6million.

Fireworks

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 624W and 28 January, Official Report, column 754W, when he expects to place the findings of the exercise on crime and disorder reduction partnerships and their implications for nuisance and noise associated with fireworks in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The results of the monitoring exercise will shortly be placed in the Library.

Graffiti

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether young offenders may be employed in removing graffiti in Sefton.

Paul Goggins: The local youth offending team (Yot) and Probation Service in Sefton periodically supervise young offenders removing graffiti as part of their reparation requirements, subject to meeting health and safety criteria. The Probation Service is currently planning a project with the Safer Merseyside Partnership to clean local alley walks.

Crime (Merseyside)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders in Crosby were committed by a person well known to the victim in the last five years; and what proportion of the total number of murders in Crosby during this period this represents.

Hazel Blears: The data have been obtained from the homicide index as it stood on 8 October 2002. Figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and the courts, or as further information becomes available.
	Information is held centrally in the form of homicide (i.e. murder, manslaughter and infanticide) by police force area. Therefore, figures can only be provided for Merseyside Police Force Area as a whole.
	
		Currently recorded homicide by Merseyside Police -- Percentage
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Total victims 24 28 20 30 28 
			 Victim acquainted with suspect 16 19 10 15 16 
			 Proportion where victim acquainted with suspect 67 68 50 50 57 
			 Proportion England and Wales 63 62 54 54 49

Crime (Merseyside)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the clear-up rate for murders committed in Crosby was in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The data have been obtained from the homicide index as it stood on 8 October 2002. Figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and the courts, or as further information becomes available. Revisions to the data will particularly affect the numbers detected in the most recent years as longer cases are solved.
	Information is held centrally in the form of homicide (ie murder, manslaughter and infanticide) by police force area. Therefore, figures can be provided only for Merseyside Police Force Area as a whole.
	Currently recorded homicide by Merseyside Police:
	
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Total victims 24 28 20 30 28 
			 Victims with no current suspect 4 3 2 7 7 
			 Detection rate (percentage) 83 89 90 77 75

Crime Statistics

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many murders there were in Romford in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many burglaries were committed in Romford in each year since 1997;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on crime statistics in Romford in (a) 2002 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years;
	(4)  how many car thefts there were in (a) Romford and (b) other London boroughs in 2002;
	(5)  if he will make a statement on the level of assaults in Romford in 2002;
	(6)  how many incidents of arson there were in Romford in (a) 2002 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years;
	(7)  if he will make a statement on the level of stabbings in (a) Romford and (b) other London boroughs in 2002;
	(8)  how many rape offences there were in (a) Romford and (b) the London borough of Havering in each of the past 10 years.

Hazel Blears: Recorded crime statistics below police force area level are collected on a basic command unit (BCU) basis. Figures at BCU level for England and Wales are available for six key offences for the financial years 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03. The area of Romford is included within the Metropolitan police BCU of Havering.
	The six key offences recorded are violence against the person (total), sexual offences (total), robbery, burglary in a dwelling, theft of a motor vehicle and theft from a vehicle. At BCU level, numbers of murders, assaults, shoplifting , arson, stabbings and rape offences are not available centrally. The available figures are given in the table.
	
		Basic command unit recorded crime statistics—Havering
		
			 Offence 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03(12) 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 2,661 2,787 3,225 3,901 
			 Sexual offences 145 158 173 178 
			 Robbery 240 392 549 479 
			 Burglary in a dwelling 837 897 1,109 1,058 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 1,749 1,842 1,883 1,654 
			 Theft from a vehicle 2,120 2,143 2,374 2,230 
		
	
	(12) The Metropolitan police introduced the National Crime Recording Standard on 1 April 2002. This may have caused the large increase in violence against the person offences for 2002–03.
	Numbers of car thefts (theft of a motor vehicle and theft from a vehicle) for all the basic command units within the London region for 2002–03 are given in the table.
	
		Basic command unit—recorded crime for vehicle crime offences for 2002–03 London region
		
			 Basic command unit Police force Theft of a motor vehicle, offences recorded 2002–03 Theft from a vehicle, offences recorded 2002–03 
		
		
			 Bishopsgate(13) London, City of 202 191 
			 Snowhill(13) London, City of 132 169 
			 Barking and Dagenham Metropolitan Police 1,489 1,678 
			 Barnet Metropolitan Police 1,801 3,239 
			 Bexley Metropolitan Police 1,455 2,022 
			 Brent Metropolitan Police 1,747 2,897 
			 Bromley Metropolitan Police 2,095 3,339 
			 Camden Metropolitan Police 1,919 7,139 
			 City of Westminster Metropolitan Police 1,464 4,582 
			 Croydon Metropolitan Police 2,341 3,352 
			 Ealing Metropolitan Police 2,484 5,925 
			 Enfield Metropolitan Police 2,033 3,198 
			 Greenwich Metropolitan Police 2,370 3,293 
			 Hackney Metropolitan Police 2,495 4,911 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Metropolitan Police 1,130 4,476 
			 Haringey Metropolitan Police 2,449 4,067 
			 Harrow Metropolitan Police 1,025 2,085 
			 Havering Metropolitan Police 1,654 2,230 
			 Heathrow Metropolitan Police 61 309 
			 Hillingdon Metropolitan Police 1,632 3,689 
			 Hounslow Metropolitan Police 1,487 3,751 
			 Islington Metropolitan Police 2,351 5,003 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Metropolitan Police 1,066 3,185 
			 Kingston upon Thames Metropolitan Police 437 938 
			 Lambeth Metropolitan Police 2,648 5,272 
			 Lewisham Metropolitan Police 1,986 2,420 
			 Merton Metropolitan Police 938 1,512 
			 Newham Metropolitan Police 3,657 5,005 
			 Redbridge Metropolitan Police 1,981 3,615 
			 Richmond upon Thames Metropolitan Police 615 1,740 
			 Southwark Metropolitan Police 2,659 4,988 
			 Sutton Metropolitan Police 822 1,577 
			 Tower Hamlets Metropolitan Police 2,260 6,026 
			 Waltham Forest Metropolitan Police 2,217 3,818 
			 Wandsworth Metropolitan Police 1,637 3,706 
		
	
	(13) The City of London has a small resident population but provides policing services to between 3–400,000 commuters and visitors each weekday. Performance measures based on crime per 1,000 resident population produce an unrealistic picture of a high level of crime, which does not reflect the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime in the City.Note:Crimes recorded by the Metropolitan police's special operations unit have not been included in this table.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what upgrades are being made to the hardware and software elements of the CCRC's IT system.

Paul Goggins: During 2003–04 there will be a variety of upgrades to the hardware to refresh items, such as PCs, which are now up to six years old. The document management system and other key software packages are also being enhanced, but the most important advance is expected to be in the area of knowledge management.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implication of the Criminal Justice and Sentencing Bill for the work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Paul Goggins: The aim of the Criminal Justice Bill is to create a fair and balanced criminal justice system that convicts the guilty, acquits the innocent and reduces offending and re-offending. The Government do not believe any of the provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill will result in an increase in miscarriages of justice and will not therefore impact on the work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding the CCRC received during the year ending 31 March 2003 from Round 3 of the Invest to Save budget; and what this funding was used for.

Paul Goggins: The Commission received £82,545 from the Invest to Save initiative in 2002–03 to establish electronic file interchange facilities with the Court of Appeal. Considerable progress was made during 2002–03, with accreditation of the necessary secure x.GSI connection on 1 April 2003.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days on average it took the Criminal Cases Review Commission to respond to correspondence at (a) Stage 0, (b) Stage 1, (c) Stage 2 Screen and (d) Stage 2 in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: All applications are acknowledged within three days. At all other stages during 2002–03 the Commission responded to 99.5 per cent. of correspondence within 10 working days.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days on average it takes the Criminal Cases Review Commission to complete reviews at (a) Stage 1, (b) Stage 2 Screen and (c) Stage 2.

Paul Goggins: Reviews at Stage 1 and at Stage 2 Screen are generally completed within 30 working days of allocation. Reviews at Stage 2/3 averaged 216 days in 2002–03.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many decisions on eligibility the Criminal Cases Review Commission made at Stage 1 during the period 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2003; how many intakes there were; and what reasons underlay the difference between these figures.

Paul Goggins: The Commission made 911 eligibility decisions at Stage 1 during the period 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2003. The intake in this period was 932. The difference is due to the fact that some eligibility decisions take 30 working days to complete.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were completed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 2002–03 at each stage.

Paul Goggins: The Commission completed 299 cases at Stage 1,498 at Stage 2 Screen, and 189 at Stage 2/3 in 2002–03.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Investigating Officers were appointed each year by the Criminal Cases Review Commission during the period from 31 March 1997 to 31 March; and how many cases were investigated each year.

Paul Goggins: 21 Investigating Officers were appointed during the period from 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2003 (four in 1997–98, four in 1998–99, five in 1999–2000, three in 2000–01, three in 2001–02 and two in 2002–03) to investigate 29 cases.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the (a) case intakes, (b) case completions, (c) case in trays and (d) cases under review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission in each year since 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2003.

Paul Goggins: The Commission started its work with 279 cases (248 of which had been transferred from the Home Office and the Northern Ireland Office and 31 had been received by the Commission prior to its official start). There were over a thousand applications in each of the first two years. In 1999–2000 the case intake reduced to 777 since when it has been steadily building to 932 in 2002–03. Against this, 310 cases were completed in 1997–98, 492 in 1998–99, and about a thousand in each of the four years since.
	Initial staffing levels proved insufficient to cope with the demand resulting in a rising number of accumulated cases, which peaked at about 1,600 in mid-1999. The Home Office provided extra resources in 1990–2000, a further increase in 2000–01 and, following the 2000 Spending Review, for each of the three subsequent years. At March 2003 there were 282 cases awaiting review and 365 under review. The Home Office is working with the Commission to ensure that it has sufficient funding to allow the accumulated cases to be minimised whilst coping with its increased case intake. The Commission is endeavouring to balance this achievement with the need to avoid having too many or too few staff.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many referrals were made to (a) the Court of Appeal and (b) the crown court in England by the CCRC in 2002–03.

Paul Goggins: Of the total of 196 referrals in 2002–03, 179 were to the Court of Appeal, seven to the crown court in England and Wales, and 10 to the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCRC referrals had been determined by the courts of appeal by 31 March 2003; of those determined, what the average time was from referral to judgement; how many convictions have been quashed; how many have been upheld; and how many have been varied since 31 March 1997.

Paul Goggins: Of 196 referrals, 133 have been determined by the appropriate court of appeal. The average time from referral to judgment was 309 working days. 77 convictions have been quashed, 44 upheld. Two sentences have been upheld and 10 have been varied.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reapplications were made to the CCRC in each year since 31 March 1997, and what proportion this represents of non-referrals.

Paul Goggins: Data are only available for the last three years. There have been 25 reapplications in 2000–01, 52 in 2001–02 and 79 in 2002–03. These represent 3 per cent. of non-referrals in 2000–01, 4 per cent. in 2001–02 and 8 per cent. in 2002–03.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reapplications were referred by the CCRC between 2000 and 2003.

Paul Goggins: During the three-year period 2000–03, eight reapplications were referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) complainants and (b) complaints there were to the CCRC in 2002–03; and how many cases were involved.

Paul Goggins: In 2002–03, 73 complainants made a total of 76 complaints in relation to 75 cases.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time was for the CCRC to (a) acknowledge a complaint and (b) complete an investigation into a complaint in 2002–03.

Paul Goggins: The average time to acknowledge a complaint in 2002–03 was three working days. The average time to complete an investigation into a complaint was about 29 working days.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints to the CCRC concerned case review actions or decisions in 2002–03; and how many resulted in a change to a case decision.

Paul Goggins: During 2002–03, 56 complaints concerned case review actions or decisions. None resulted in a change to a case decision.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to minimise the number of complaints received by the CCRC.

Paul Goggins: During 2002–03, the Commission carried out a comprehensive audit of the reasons for complaints. The aim was to define changes that could be made to the Commission's processes, communications and training programme to minimise the number of complaints received. Appropriate changes will be implemented during 2003–04.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department of the applications received by the CCRC in 2002–03, how many referred to sexual offences; and how many separate sexual offences were raised.

Paul Goggins: During 2002–03, 932 applications were received consisting of 1,248 separate offences and 2,038 counts. Of these, indecent assault, rape, and other sexual offences represented 32 per cent. of the offences and 44 per cent. of the counts.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many process improvement projects were active in the CCRC during 2002–03; and what they were concerned with.

Paul Goggins: During 2002–03, one process improvement project was active. This was concerned with the development of a more integrated training programme for the Commission.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many case review managers (a) were in post, (b) arrived and (c) left the Criminal Cases Review Commission in each year from 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2003;
	(2)  what the turnover rate of case review managers in the Criminal Cases Review Commission was in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The turnover of case review managers (CRMs) is represented in this table:
	
		
			 Date CRMs in post Arrivals during the year Departures during the year 
		
		
			 31 March 1997 9 15 0 
			 31 March 1998 24 8 3 
			 31 March 1999 29 12 5 
			 31 March 2000 36 17 6 
			 31 March 2001 47 9 6 
			 31 March 2002 50 1 8 
			 31 March 2003 43 — —

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications the Criminal Cases Review Commission received between 31 March 1997 and 31 March 2003; and what the annual intakes to Stage 1 through that period were.

Paul Goggins: The number of applications was as follows:
	
		
			  Transfers New cases to Stage 1 Cumulative 
		
		
			 31 March 1997 279 — 279 
			 1997–98 — 1,103 1,382 
			 1998–99 — 1,037 2,419 
			 1999–2000 — 777 3,196 
			 2000–01 — 800 3,996 
			 2001–02 — 834 4,830 
			 2002–03 — 932 5,762

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change was in the number of applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 2002–03 from the previous year.

Paul Goggins: The number of applications to the Commission was 12 per cent. higher in 2002–03 than in the previous year.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were (a) awaiting review at each stage and (b) under review at each stage at (i) 31 March, (ii) 31 March 2002, (iii) 31 March 2001 and (iv) 31 March 2000.

Paul Goggins: The requested information is as follows.
	
		
			  Stage 1 Stage 2 Screen Stage 2/3 
			  In tray Under review In tray Under review In tray Under review 
		
		
			 31 March 2000 22 25 702 216 190 217 
			 31 March 2001 23 47 281 286 249 178 
			 31 March 2002 17 14 124 149 199 190 
			 31 March 2003 17 35 104 128 161 194

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many referrals were made by the Criminal Cases Review Commission in the 2002–03 year to 31 March; and how many of those referrals have been determined.

Paul Goggins: The Commission referred 35 cases to the Court of Appeal in 2002–03. Nine of these referrals of convictions have been determined and all have been quashed. One referral against sentence has been abandoned.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many referrals by the CCRC have taken advantage of (a) forensic science techniques, (b) advances in psychiatry and (c) advances in linguistics that have been developed or enhanced since the original proceedings.

Paul Goggins: It would require disproportionate resources to determine exactly how many of the 196 referrals to March 2003 made any use of some form of advance in the fields of forensic science techniques, psychiatry, or linguistics. This is particularly the case given that such use may not have formed a key element of the referral. In some referrals the Commission has taken direct advantage of these techniques, including the use of DNA and ESDA techniques. For example, in one case in which the defence had advanced a seemingly implausible argument at trial, modern DNA techniques supported it and the conviction was quashed. In another referral, ESDA tests cast doubt on prosecution documents and the conviction was quashed. Advances in forensic psychiatry and linguistics have been applied in several referrals, particularly in relation to the reliability of confessions and other evidence.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average turn-around for applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority was in the last 12 months; and what percentage were settled within a year.

Paul Goggins: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority advise that in the year ending 31 August 2003, the average time between the date an application was received and the date the applicant was notified of the decision on that application was, for the 72,531 cases so determined, 294 days. In 53,159 cases (73 per cent.) the decision letter was issued within 12 months of receipt of the application.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of complainants in criminal investigations claimed compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme in the last 12 months; and what percentage pursued a civil action for damages.

Paul Goggins: Such information is not recorded centrally.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each of the last five years criminal courts in England ordered offenders to pay compensation to their victims.

Paul Goggins: The number of offenders ordered to pay compensation for all offences at all courts, England 1997 to 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Offenders ordered to pay compensation(14)  
		
		
			 1997 95,410 
			 1998 99,198 
			 1999 99,337 
			 2000 98,558 
			 2001 100,910 
		
	
	(14) These data are on the principal offence basis
	Statistics for 2002 will be published in December.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to issue guidelines which prescribe the relationship between the police and personal injury solicitors.

Paul Goggins: The Government's publication "Complex Child Abuse Investigations: Inter-Agency Issues" refers directly to matters relevant to the disclosure of information by the police to solicitors in historical abuse cases. We feel that this provides sufficient guidance, as there should be no need for any further relationship between the two parties.

Criminal Justice Bill

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances the Court will waive the double jeopardy rule and allow retrial to take place under the Criminal Justice Bill.

Paul Goggins: Under the provisions of Part 10 of the Criminal Justice Bill, the Court of Appeal will be able to order a retrial in respect of certain serious offences for which there has previously been an acquittal, where the court is satisfied that there is new and compelling evidence which is relevant tot he guilt of the acquitted person, and that it is in the interests of justice for a retrial to proceed.

Criminal Justice Bill

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the purpose is of altering the procedures and revising the Codes of Practice as set out in clause 7 of the Criminal Justice Bill;
	(2)  what the purposes are of altering the procedures and revising the Codes of Practice as set out in clause 7 of the Criminal Justice Bill.

Paul Goggins: The purpose of clause 9 (formerly clause 7) is to enable the Codes issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to be updated and reviewed on a more frequent basis to maintain their relevance and accuracy. It provides for a targeted, quicker and less bureaucratic approach and allows the Secretary of State discretion in the process of updating and making changes by applying a level of scrutiny proportionate to the amendment or change. The Home Affairs Select Committee would advise the Secretary of State on the level of Parliamentary scrutiny required in every case.

Criminal Justice Bill

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the purpose is of the proposal in clause 23 of the Criminal Justice Bill to transfer responsibility for charging from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service;
	(2)  what the purposes are of the proposal to transfer responsibility for charging from the Police to the Crown Prosecution Service in Clause 23 and of Schedule 2 of the Criminal Justice Bill.

Paul Goggins: The purpose of the new arrangements is to enable the police and Crown Prosecution Service to develop a common approach to case preparation, increasing the likelihood that charges will be correct from the outset and facilitating a more efficient and effective court process. When similar arrangements were piloted last year, the results showed improvements in terms of substantially lower discontinuance, more guilty pleas at first hearing and significant falls in cracked and ineffective trials.

Criminal Justice Bill

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether HM Government will adopt the Home Affairs Committee's recommendation on including a time limit in the primary legislation on imposing conditions on bail before charge in the Criminal Justice Bill.

Paul Goggins: The Government have considered the Home Affairs Committee's recommendation that there should be a limit on the duration of pre-charge police bail in cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision as to charge. The Government accept that bail granted to suspects in these circumstances (whether subject to conditions or not) should be for a reasonable period only, but it has decided that it would be appropriate to make this clear in guidance, rather than to include a time limit on the face of the Bill. No statutory restrictions on the duration of police bail exist at present, and the final evaluation report of the charging pilot recommended against imposing such a limit in these cases.

Criminal Justice Bill

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Criminal Justice Bill modifies the general exclusionary rule against hearsay evidence.

Paul Goggins: The main provisions remove the old common law rule against the admission of hearsay evidence, and provide a clear statutory scheme for the admission of such evidence. Under the Bill, statements made out of court will be admissible as evidence in the following circumstances:
	the witness is unavailable for a specified reason;
	documentary records have been compiled by business;
	it is admissible under the common law rules which have been preserved or other statutory provision;
	the parties agree that it can go in; or
	the court gives leave to admit the statement.
	In addition, witnesses' previous statements will be more widely admissible at trial as proof of the facts contained within them, including allowing certain witnesses in serious cases to use their video recorded statements in place of their main evidence. Further details are contained in the Explanatory Notes, which have been published to accompany the Bill.

Criminal Justice Bill

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will accept the recommendation of the Home Affairs Committee to delete Clause 5 pertaining to detention time limits in the Criminal Justice Bill.

Paul Goggins: I refer my hon. Friend to the Government Reply to the Second Report from the Home Affairs Committee (column 5787). Extending detention in the way proposed will help impact positively on dealing with serious offences such as street robbery.

Criminal Justice Bill

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will accept the recommendation of the Home Affairs Committee to amend Clause 7 of the Criminal Justice Bill in order to preserve the existing procedures in the circumstances of a Code being established for the first time and where revisions of substantial importance or significance are made to the Codes.

Paul Goggins: Government amendments tabled during debate in the Lords Committee provide for any entirely new PACE Code to be subject to affirmative procedure. We also accept that significant changes to existing Codes may be subject to the same process but that there should be scope to consider the most appropriate procedure to be followed in each case. That is why we have given an undertaking to consult the Home Affairs Select Committee in every case on which procedure should be followed and to be bound by the Committee's advice.

Criminal Justice Boards

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the formation of the local criminal justice boards on the delivery of services.

Paul Goggins: Local Criminal Justice Boards were launched on 1 April 2003. They are subject to ongoing assessment against targets. Only the first quarter figures for performance are currently available to assess performance.
	The Local Boards have been tasked with delivery of the Criminal Justice System Public Service Agreement targets. Their key priorities are to increase the number of crimes for which an offender is brought to justice and to improve the level of public confidence in the criminal justice system. Additionally they have targets to reduce the number of ineffective trials, ensure the Persistent Young Offender pledge is met and improve timeliness. Where applicable, Local Boards have targets to reduce street crime.
	Each Local Board has set out in delivery plans what their precise targets are and how they intend to achieve them. Progress against these plans is monitored and appropriate feedback and support is given. Local Boards have recently completed and received feedback on their first quarter self assessment.
	Additionally the National Criminal Justice Board, at its monthly meetings, monitors the overall performance of Local Boards. Members of the Board—Ministers and Senior Officials—visit Local Areas on a regular basis.

Criminal Proceedings

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has (a) to introduce a national protocol for the disclosure of third party material in criminal proceedings and (b) to implement Lord Justice Auld's recommendations on disclosure.

Paul Goggins: Work on a model national protocol between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), police and local authorities on the exchange of information in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases has been completed. I understand that the CPS Policy Directorate is hoping to issue the model protocol to local CPS areas, police and local authorities in the near future.
	Sir Robin Auld's report of his Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales made a number of recommendations on the law on disclosure. The Government's response was published in the Annex to the White Paper, "Justice for All" (column 5563).
	Sir Robin's recommendation that there should be a single disclosure test to replace the present two tests is included in the Criminal Justice Bill, currently being considered by the House of Lords. His other recommendations for improving prosecution disclosure were considered in the context of the joint CPS/Police disclosure project. Revised Joint Operational Instructions were issued to the police and CPS in December 2002 and became fully operational in June 2003. The Government is considering how best to take forward Sir Robin Auld's recommendation that consideration should be given to a new statutory scheme for third party disclosure, in the light of the work on the model protocol.

Custodial Sentences

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the deterrent effect of the length of a custodial sentence.

Paul Goggins: It is extremely difficult to measure the deterrent effect of sentencing separately from its other effects. Apart from serving as punishment, sentences can impact on crime in a number of ways, through incapacitation, reform and rehabilitation, as well as the deterrent effect. Reconviction rates, for example, are lower for those who serve longer terms of imprisonment than those who serve shorter terms, but this reflects a number of factors and the contribution of deterrence cannot be readily isolated.
	In 1999, the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics Directorate commissioned the University of Cambridge to review all the recent research looking at the impact of sentence severity on deterrence. That study 1 concluded that the limited available evidence in this area suggests that generally the connection between variations in sentence severity and deterrent effect is not direct or strong. Nevertheless the availability (and severity) of punishment does appear to have a general deterrent effect for some classes of potential offenders, whose choice of whether to offend is influenced by their perception of the risks of being apprehended and punished. This suggests that known penal threats can have a deterrent effect.
	1 Von Hirsch, A. Bottoms, A. Burney, E. and Wikstrom, P-O. (1999) Criminal deterrence and sentence severity; an analysis of recent research. Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. Hart Publishing, Oxford.

Custody Plus Scheme

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the proposed increase in magistrates' sentencing powers will be implemented before the Custody plus scheme is rolled out.

Paul Goggins: Final decisions on the timing of the reforms in the Criminal Justice Bill have not yet been made. It is likely that we will introduce elements of the sentencing reforms in phases, to ensure that they are introduced without too much disruption, and to enable the Prison Service and the National Probation Service to reach the capacity necessary to implement them successfully.
	Custody plus in particular will create an additional caseload for the probation service, which will need to be well planned for.
	Our decision on timing will also take into account the potential benefits of linking the increase in magistrates' sentencing powers with the new arrangements for allocation and transfer of cases between magistrates and the Crown court, in Part 6 of the Bill, which we may wish to implement in advance of custody plus.

Gangs

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures have been taken since 1997 to address problems arising from gang culture; and what proposals he has to combat gang violence.

Paul Goggins: We are taking action to deal with gang-related offending where this is a problem. Initiatives such as the Manchester Multi-Agency Gang Strategy and similar community-based programmes in other areas use a multi-agency approach to deliver interventions targeted at gangs, gang culture and associated offending, while police operations, such as Operation Trident in London, are tackling the association between gang culture and gun crime.
	We are also working to prevent young people's problematic involvement in gangs in the first place, in areas where this is an issue. For example, the Youth Inclusion Programme and Safer Schools Partnerships target those young people most at risk of offending to help them avoid problematic behaviours, including gang membership. And the new Positive Activities for Young People programme provides constructive diversionary activities during the school holidays for targeted at risk young people.

Jury Intimidation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the level of jury intimidation in the United Kingdom.

Paul Goggins: The Crown Prosecution Service and Court Service do not maintain records of the numbers of cases in which jury interference occurs. However, each year there are instances of actual or feared jury interference which necessitate both a range of jury protection measures and the termination of trials before the jury has been able to reach a verdict. In a small number of cases which present a very serious risk of intimidation, the court will order 24-hour police protection for the jury. In 2000, the cost to the Metropolitan Police of such protection was £4.3 million; in 2001, £5.1 million.
	The Government have included proposals in the Criminal Justice Bill currently before Parliament for a trial on indictment in the Crown Court to be conducted without a jury where there is a danger of jury tampering, or continued without a jury where the jury has been discharged because of jury tampering. The Government believe that these measures will provide a strong and effective disincentive to jury tampering.

Police Custody

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in 
	(1)  what circumstances it will be necessary to impose conditions before charge to ensure that a person accused of a crime (a) surrenders to custody, (b) does not commit an offence while on bail and (c) does not interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice, whether in relation to himself or herself or another person;
	(2)  what guidance he intends to issue on the situations in which it is necessary to impose conditions before charge to secure that a person accused of a crime (a) surrenders to custody, (b) does not commit an offence while on bail and (c) does not interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice whether in relation to himself or another person, under the proposals in the Criminal Justice Bill.

Paul Goggins: When a custody officer releases a suspect under the new section 37(7)(a) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 for the purpose of enabling the Crown Prosecution Service to make a decision as to charge, it will be for to him or her to determine in the usual way whether to impose bail conditions in accordance with section 3 of the Bail Act 1976. No special guidance will be required as to the circumstances in which conditions would be appropriate.

Police Custody

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long a suspect can be detained before charge for (a) non-serious arrestable offences and (b) serious arrestable offences.

Paul Goggins: Section 41 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provides that an arrested person shall not be kept in detention for more than 24 hours before charge. Section 42 provides that if the person is under arrest for a serious arrestable offence, he may be detained up to a maximum of 36 hours on the authorisation of a superintendent or above. Section 43 provides that further detention up to a maximum period of 96 hours must be authorised on application to a magistrate.

Probation Service

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the pay negotiations for the National Probation Service were not concluded by 1 April; when the negotiations will begin; whether a similar timetable will be adopted in 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The pay negotiations for the National Probation Service (NPS) were not concluded by 1 April 2003 because of the need to obtain agreement to the pay remit by my right hon. Friend, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Paul Boateng). The remit was not agreed until 17 July. A pay offer was then made to the Trade Unions on 22 July and this is now subject to an acceptance ballot of Trade Union members. Union leaders have recommended the offer to their members.
	It is not intended that a similar timetable will be adopted for 2004. This is because the National Probation Directorate, in conjunction with the Probation Boards' Association (the employers' organisation), is currently negotiating with the Trade Unions a new pay and grading system for the National Probation Service. If agreement can be reached, it is planned that there will be a two-year pay settlement covering the years 2004–05 and 2005–06.

Probation Service

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the National Probation Service required a pay remit before their pay negotiations could begin this year; when the remit will be completed; why it could not be completed in time for the pay negotiations to be completed by 1 April; whether a pay remit will be an annual requirement; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: When the National Probation Service (NPS) was established in April 2001 the Probation Service moved from being part funded by the local authorities and the Home Office to being solely funded by the Home Office. This change in funding made it appropriate, as with other public services, that the NPS was required to submit its pay remit for approval by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This arrangement became fully operative for the first time for the 2003–04 pay settlement. Treasury rules require that employers cannot begin pay negotiations with the Trade Unions until the Treasury has approved the remit.
	The Chief Secretary agreed the NPS remit on 17 July and a pay offer was made to the Trade Unions on 22 July.
	The reason why the negotiations on the NPS pay settlement did not begin until July relates to the extended timetable for clearance of remits through Ministers and the Treasury. Coupled with this is a complex process of ensuring that the proposed settlement is affordable by the NPS and conforms to public sector pay policy. These factors meant that it was not possible for the NPS to meet the 1 April settlement date. It should be borne in mind that a settlement, once agreed, is backdated to the relevant settlement date.
	It is not intended that a similar timetable will be adopted for 2004–05. This is because a new pay and grading system is currently planned for the NPS and a two-year remit will be sought well in advance from the Treasury to cover the years 2004–05 and 2005–06. There should therefore be no repetition of this year's delay.

Sexual Offences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long the maximum penalty is for those convicted of gross indecency.

Paul Goggins: The maximum sentence for the offence of Indecency between Men (section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956) is, on indictment, dependent on the ages of those involved. If the offence is committed by a man over the age of 21 with a man under the age of 18, it carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. Otherwise it carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment. On summary conviction the offence carries a penalty of six months imprisonment, or a fine, or both.
	Indecency between men is the official name for the offence colloquially known as Gross Indecency.

Sexual Offences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government plans to (a) repeal gross indecency offences and (b) include provision regarding sexual activity in public toilets under the Sexual Offences Bill.

Paul Goggins: The Sexual Offences Bill provides for the repeal of section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 which is the offence of "indecency between men not in private", colloquially known as "gross indecency" (see schedule 5 of the Bill). The Bill also provides for an offence of "sexual activity in a public lavatory" (see clause 67).

Sexual Offences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation the police may use to tackle the problem of sexual activity in toilets.

Paul Goggins: Currently, sexual activity in toilets could be dealt with under section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 (indecency between men not in private), section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 which deals with behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress and the common law offence of "outraging public decency". There is provision in the Sexual Offences Bill for the repeal of section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 but a new offence of "sexual activity in a public lavatory" is included at clause 67.

Sexual Offences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will adopt the proposal of the Home Affairs Committee to extend the statutory reporting restrictions, which preserve the anonymity of victims of sexual offences, to persons accused of those offences.

Paul Goggins: The Government have noted the findings of the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC), but believe there should be no distinction drawn between those accused of sex offences and other, arguably more heinous crimes, such as murder. However, we acknowledge that some media reporting of suspects' details, prior to charge, can be severely distressing and damaging where charges are not then brought, and believe that informed and strengthened self-regulatory guidance issued by the police and the media, to prevent such reporting, is preferable to legislation. Discussions are already in hand to ensure the relevant guidance is strengthened.

Young Offenders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on performance against the 71 day target for dealing with persistent young offenders.

Paul Goggins: The average time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders (PYOs) in England and Wales was 64 days for the second quarter of 2002—the eighth consecutive quarter at or below the 71 day target.
	This is an excellent achievement by all the Criminal Justice Agencies. It is a vital part of the Government's reforms that people should have confidence in the Criminal Justice System, and the Government are very pleased that the target is being met so.

Young Offenders

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the funding given to the initiatives in the London Borough of Havering to discourage young offenders from re-offending.

Paul Goggins: The Havering Youth Offending Team (YOT) budget for 2003–04 which has been proposed to the Borough Council is £792,315. This covers a wide range of work with juvenile offenders including community supervision and interventions designed to prevent re-offending. The local Probation Service carries out similar work with some juveniles and with young adult offenders.

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines govern the conduct of police investigations and subsequent prosecution proceedings in care home abuse cases.

Paul Goggins: The Government's publication "Complex Child Abuse Investigations: Inter-Agency Issues" and the Association of Chief Police Officers' Senior Investigating Officers Handbook both cover the conduct of police investigations into complex historical abuse cases. This is in addition to more general guidelines in the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 and accompanying code and the Crown Prosecution Service code for Crown prosecutors.

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will take steps to encourage early consultation on the conduct and direction of investigations between the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service in cases of abuse in children's homes.

Paul Goggins: These steps have already been taken. The Government issued inter-agency guidance on complex child abuse investigations in June 2002. The guidance stresses the need to ensure that the Crown Prosecution Service are involved at an early stage as appropriate, while noting that they should not be involved in operational decisions about the conduct of an investigation.
	This approach is further supported by the guidance in the Association of Chief Police Officers' Senior Investigating Officers Handbook.

Criminal Records Bureau

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the Criminal Records Bureau's end of year deficit on the financial forecast set out in Annex A of the CRB Corporate Business Plan; how this compares to the original financial forecast; and when he expects the agency to break even.

Paul Goggins: It is currently estimated that the Criminal Records Bureau deficit for the year to 31 March 2004 will be £18.8 million. The original plan, which assumed a significantly higher volume of applications, was for the Criminal Records Bureau to make a surplus of £1.8 million in the year. The Criminal Records Bureau is currently projected to break even in the year to 31 March 2006.

Evidence Collection

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has taken to ensure that evidence presented in UK courts has not been obtained under duress.

Paul Goggins: It is for the trial judge to decide whether a particular piece of evidence should be admitted and in making that decision he must adhere to the requirements of the law. In England and Wales, criminal courts have a range of powers to prevent the admission of improperly obtained evidence. In particular:
	Section 76(2) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) prevents the prosecution relying on confession evidence where it may have been obtained by oppression of the person who made it or in consequence of anything said or done which, in the circumstances, was likely to render a resulting confession unreliable. Where the defence contends that this may be the case it is up to the prosecution to show beyond reasonable doubt that this is not the case. Section 76(3) also permits the court to require the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the confession was not so obtained.
	The Criminal Justice Bill provides for similar statutory protection where the confession is sought to be adduced by a co-defendant.
	Judges also have discretion under section 78 of PACE to exclude evidence on which the prosecution propose to rely if it appears to the court that the admission of the evidence would have such an adverse effect on the fairness of the proceedings that the court ought not to admit it. When considering this discretion the court is to have regard for all the circumstances of the case, including the circumstances in which the evidence was obtained.

National Probation Directorate

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the outcome of the research into the completion and re-offending rates arising from the Think First pilots commissioned by the National Probation Directorate, will be published.

Paul Goggins: The findings will be made public as soon as practicable after the research has been received and approved by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

Parenting Orders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the use to date of parenting orders.

Paul Goggins: The Policy Research Bureau's evaluation of the parenting programme sponsored by the Youth Justice Board was published in September 2002. It found a very positive response from parents on Parenting Orders as well as voluntary participants, and improved parenting skills. In the year following counselling and guidance, offences by their children fell by 50 per cent.

Vulnerable Detainees

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the terms (a) vulnerable and (b) difficult group are defined within his Department.

Paul Goggins: A mentally vulnerable detainee is defined for the purposes of the Codes of Practice under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) as "any detainee who, because of their mental state or capacity may not understand the significance of what is said, of questions or of their replies". (Code C, Guidance Note 1G). The PACE Codes make specific provision for detainees who are mentally disordered or mentally vulnerable to receive the support of an appropriate adult during their time in police custody (Code C 1.7). Appropriate adults have an important role to play in the custody environment by ensuring that the detained person whom they are assisting understands what is happening to them and why.
	Although the term vulnerable is not explicitly applied to juvenile detainees, they are nevertheless regarded as a vulnerable group and PACE Code C requires that they similarly receive the support of an appropriate adult (Code C 1.7).
	Section 16 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 defines a group of witnesses in criminal proceedings (other than the accused) who may be eligible for special measures assistance on grounds of age or incapacity. This group is often referred to as vulnerable witnesses.
	I am not aware of a specific definition for the term difficult group.

Tagging

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost is of tagging an offender (a) under and (b) over the age of 18, from the time the tag and equipment is installed up to the lawful removal of the tag.

Paul Goggins: In the financial year 2002–03, a total of 37,898 persons were made subject to electronic monitoring at a total cost of £63,448,638, resulting in an average cost of £1,674 each. Total and average cost figures are not available for those aged under or over the age of 18 separately. This is because the pricing regime for electronic monitoring is based on the type of scheme rather than the age of the person subject to electronic monitoring, and the different schemes have different age boundaries.

HEALTH

Seized Food Products

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide environmental health officers with the power to issue destruction orders on seized food products.

Melanie Johnson: Local authority authorised officers have existing general powers to seize food products and take them before a magistrate to have them destroyed. They also have specific powers to seize and destroy illegally imported food products of animal origin.
	There are no plans to change these arrangements.

"Achieving the NHS Plan"

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Audit Commission's report, "Achieving the NHS Plan".

John Hutton: At the time the report was published we welcomed its positive overall assessment of progress. The National Health Service has moved forward since the report's publication with widespread good progress continuing to be made against the NHS Plan.

Alzheimer's Disease

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from patients groups regarding drug therapies for Alzheimer's disease patients.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government have received a number of representations about the availability of the three drugs which the National Institute for Clinical Excellence(NICE) has recommended for use for people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. These drugs should be available on the national health service to all people who meet NICE'S criteria. Where there are any problems with accessing the drugs, this should be brought to the attention of the relevant primary care trust.
	There have also been a number of representations about memantine, a drug licensed for moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, which is being appraised by NICE in the eighth wave of its work. When considering the funding of any treatment currently being appraised by NICE, or where no appraisal has been commissioned, funding authorities are expected to use their existing prescribing arrangements and consider the evidence available to them on the clinical effectiveness of the treatment.

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004.

Rosie Winterton: Asbestos surveys and its management are generally included within normal routine maintenance and are not normally separately identifiable. However, using those charges that are identifiable, in the period from January 2001 to date, the Department, it's executive agencies and executive non-departmental public bodies have spent £119,000 on asbestos surveys and £794,000 on the management and removal of asbestos.
	For the vast majority of departmental accommodation, the cost of future surveys and on-going management of asbestos is included within general building maintenance budgets and they are not separately identifiable. The information where costs are separately identifiable is:
	Department of Health headquarters (London)—asbestos management budgets of £403,000 for 2003–04 and £600,000 for 2004–05 have been allocated.
	National Institute for Biological Standards and Control—asbestos management budget of £110,000 for 2004–05.
	Health Protection Agency—asbestos management budgets of £35,000 for 2003–04 and £70,000 for 2004–05.

Asthma

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding he gave to the National Asthma Campaign for research into the causes of asthma in the last two years.

Melanie Johnson: The Department does not allocate funds directly to charities for research. The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the national health service. Research funds are provided to research contractors on the basis of individual proposals. The Department also provides support to NHS trusts to allow work funded by others such as the research councils, charities and other funders to be conducted within the NHS. The Department is funding research on air pollution and asthma and a project on the effect of a low allergen indoor environment on exacerbations of asthma.

Asthma

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that results of research commissioned by the Department into asthma are cross-referenced for scientific inquiry and international studies.

Melanie Johnson: The Department encourages publication of scientifically robust results arising from its commissioned research relating to asthma. Publication is normally in peer reviewed journals indexed on standard bibliographic databases.

Breast Cancer

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the use of proteomics to improve the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis.

Melanie Johnson: The Government welcome any new technology that would improve the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis. Before any new technology is introduced we must be sure that it is safe and effective and that quality standards can be maintained.
	The use of proteomics for breast cancer diagnosis is a new technique and large-scale studies have not taken place. If these studies prove proteomics to be effective, then the technique may be referred to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). The use of the technique in the national health service will be based on recommendations by NICE.

Cancelled Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancelled operations there were in each NHS trust in the first quarter of 2003–04; and what percentage of all operations this represented in each trust for that quarter.

John Hutton: Data on the number of operations cancelled by the hospital for non-clinical reasons at the last minute (i.e. on the day patients are due to arrive, after arrival in hospital, or on the day of their operation) and the percentage of operations cancelled "at the last minute', as a proportion of all general and acute elective activity during the first quarter of 2003–04, have been placed in the Library.

Care Homes

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with representatives of the care industry to overcome the funding problems behind the proposal of the Criminal Records Bureau to introduce full record checks for new staff of care homes prior to their employment.

Stephen Ladyman: I met with representatives from the National Care Homes Association on 24 September to discuss their concerns about difficulties care homes face when Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks are delayed. Further meetings with officials have also been arranged.
	As the independent regulator, The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) has the responsibility to ensure care homes meet all their statutory requirements. The NCSC has stated clearly that it will continue to exercise its powers wisely and where CRB clearances are not in place will apply its discretion on the use of its enforcement powers on a case-by-case basis.
	The NCSC issued a press release on 22 September, setting out its approach to CRB checks for care home staff. A copy is available on its website at www.carestandards.org.uk.

Care Homes

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new regulations have been imposed on the care home sector, and at what cost, since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The care home sector has long been subject to regulation. The regulations introduced under the Care Standards Act 2000 are based on the regulations under the Registered Homes Act 1984 and establish a more consistent and coherent and regulatory framework which care home providers and others had been calling for.
	The regulations introduced under the Care Standards Act which affect care homes are:
	The Care Homes Regulations 2001.
	The Children's Homes Regulations 2001.
	The National Care Standards Commission (Fees and Frequency of Inspections) Regulations 2001.
	The National Care Standards Commission (Registration) Regulations 2001.
	The estimated costs of implementing these regulations are set out in the relevant regulatory impact assessments (RIAs), which are available on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/regulatoryimpact/index.htm.
	It is difficult to give a precise figure for the cost of implementing these regulations, given the lack of reliable detailed information and the fact that not all care homes will be affected equally, but in the case of the Care Homes Regulations and the associated national minimum standards, the RIA estimated an overall cost of £150 million spread over five years. However, these costs will have been reduced for pre-existing care homes, following the decision in February 2003 to relax certain physical environment standards relating to them.
	We anticipate that almost all of the cost of meeting the regulations will be passed on to the commissioners of care, in most cases the relevant local authority social services department. To ensure that local authorities have the resources they need to purchase services to meet the needs of their residents, we are providing substantial extra resources for social services.

Care Homes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the care home sector of (a) the requirement within the Care Home Regulations that all new staff engaged by care homes must have been cleared by a Criminal Records Bureau check before starting work and (b) the change in practice between the operation of the regulation since its introduction on 1 April 2002 and the enforcement guidelines operative from 1 October.

Stephen Ladyman: From 1 April 2002, when the Care Homes Regulations came into force, care home providers have been required to undertake a number of pre-employment checks, including a disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), before they can employ a new member of staff. Meeting this requirement was made difficult because of long delays in the processing by CRB of applications for disclosures. The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) issued interim guidance to care providers about how to address this difficulty.
	Following significant improvements made at the CRB since last summer, it is now processing 90 per cent. of applications within four weeks. The NCSC rightly decided to look again at its guidance because there will now be fewer circumstances in which it will need to make allowance for delayed checks.
	As the independent regulator, the NCSC has the responsibility to ensure care homes meet all their statutory requirements. It has stated clearly that it will continue to exercise its powers wisely and where CRB clearances are not in place will apply its discretion on the use of its enforcement powers on a case by case basis.
	The NCSC issued a press release on 22 September 2003 setting out its approach to CRB checks for care home staff. A copy is available on the NCSC website at www.carestandards.org.uk.

Chauffeur Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials of (a) Department of Health and (b) agencies funded by the Department of Health are entitled to chauffeur-driven vehicles.

Rosie Winterton: The Prime Minister's guidance on travel by Ministers states that allocated cars and drivers will be provided for all Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and that allocated cars and drivers will also be made available to permanent secretaries, other officials of equivalent rank and certain designated chief executives (normally at permanent secretary level).
	The Department currently has one Secretary of State, two Ministers of State and three Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State all of whom have been allocated an official car and driver. Additionally the permanent secretary and the chief medical officer also make use of an official car and driver each.

Coronary Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of heart attack patients received thrombolysis within one hour of calling for assistance in the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: The percentage of heart attack patients who were eligible (who had no contraindications) to receive thrombolysis within one hour of calling for help was 37 per cent. for the year 2002. The proportion is increasing in 2003, in line with the Government target. The figure for January to March 2003 was 44 per cent. and for April to June 2003 was 47 per cent.

Cross-border Health Care

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many persons normally resident in Scotland were given (a) emergency treatment in (i) English and (ii) Welsh hospitals and (b) non-emergency treatment in (A) English or (B) Welsh hospitals in each of the last five years.

John Hutton: Table 1 shows Hospital Episode Statistics on the number of admissions for Scottish residents into National Health Service hospitals in England from 1997–98 to 2001–02. The admission method is broken down into emergency and non-emergency and the total numbers of admissions are also provided.
	
		Table 1Finished admissions
		
			 Year 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Emergency Admissions 2,219 3,143 3,050 3,205 3,089 
			 Non Emergency 1,763 2,426 2,281 2,564 2,493 
			 Total 3,984 5,570 5,343 5,772 5,594 
		
	
	Table 2 shows data from the Patient Episode Database for Wales on the number of admissions for Scottish residents into NHS hospitals in Wales from 1997–98 to 2001–02. The admission method is broken down into emergency and non-emergency and the total number of admissions is also provided.
	
		Table 2 Finished admissions
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Emergency Admissions 150 146 137 148 125 
			 Non Emergency 7 24 9 16 12 
			 Total 157 170 146 164 137

Cross-border Health Care

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what structures are in place to encourage cooperation between English and Scottish NHS trusts where they share (a) specialist teaching, research or treatment expertise and (b) contiguous geographical areas of responsibility.

John Hutton: There are no formal structures in place centrally. Established clinical networks encourage the sharing of specialist teaching, research and treatment expertise.
	Under arrangements for temporary registration, people who are normally resident in the United Kingdom and are entitled to National Health Service care free at the point of delivery may access emergency or primary care services in another area. Elective treatment across borders is a matter for local contractual arrangements.

Dental Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 947W, concerning dental practices, how many dental practices there are in each primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 September 2003
	Information on the number of dental practices in each primary care trust in England, as reported at 9 September 2003 on the www.nhs.uk website, has been placed in the Library. These figures are on the same basis as those given in my response of 1 September, although for a later date; they may show some differences from dental practice numbers reported by the Dental Practice Board.
	The information also shows revised figures for practices accepting patients exempt from dental charges for registration and also children for registration, as at 3 October 2003.

Dental Services

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of dental care services within the North Tyneside Primary Care Trust area; and what steps he is taking to improve access.

Melanie Johnson: In the recent performance ratings published by the Commission for Health Improvement, North Tyneside Primary Care Trust (PCT) scored significantly above average for their plans in place for access to National Health Service dentistry.
	There are a number of initiatives already in place to enable PCTs to improve access to NHS dental services. This includes the general dental services incentives schemes, as well as a NHS team which will support PCTs where access is most challenging, providing advice and guidance on best practice in increasing access and modernising dentistry locally to tackle longstanding bottlenecks where it is hard to find a NHS dentist.

Dental Services

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) dental practices and (b) dentists there were in each primary care trust in England in each of the past three years.

Rosie Winterton: The available information for the number of practices and dentists providing general dental services (CDS) in each health authority (HA) for 2001 and 2002 and in each primary care trust (PCT) in 2003 has been placed in the Library. PCTs took over responsibility from HAs in October 2003.
	These figures exclude salaried dentists working in the general dental service, dentists working in other national health service dental services, for example, community and personal dental services, hospital dental services and dentists who do no NHS work.

Dental Services

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general dental practitioners were contracted to the national health service in each primary care trust area in England at the last date for which information is available (a) in total and (b) as full-time equivalents.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 18 September 2003
	Information on the number of general dental practitioners providing general dental services (GDS) on 30 June 2003, for each primary care trust area in England, has been placed in the Library.
	Information on full-time equivalent numbers is not available. Dentists providing GDS are not required to work for a specified number of hours each week and they are free to decide how much national health service work they do.

Dental Services

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the level of NHS dentists' charges for missed appointments.

Rosie Winterton: As part of the arrangements for dentists' remuneration, their terms of service provide in paragraphs 34 and 19 of Schedule 1 to the NHS (General Dental Services) Regulations 1992 that dentists may claim from a patient for loss of remuneration resulting from the failure of a patient to keep an appointment for general dental services.
	A claim must reflect actual financial loss and be proportional to that loss.

Dental Services

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being taken to increase the number of NHS dental practices in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear, (d) the North East and (e) England.

Rosie Winterton: Information on measures being taken to increase the number of national health service dental practices at local level is not held centrally. Subject to parliamentary approval, the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill will enable primary care trusts (PCTs) to provide assistance and support to dental practices with which they contract.
	To enable PCTs to provide such assistance in advance of 2005, the General Dental Services Incentive Schemes Directions 2003 have been published, together with guidance to PCTs. These will be backed by funds of £3 million in 2003–04 and £6 million in 2004–05 which were announced in implementation plans published on 12 August. PCTs will also have access to further funds of £35 million over these two years, which were announced on 18 September for NHS dentistry access, choice and quality.

Dental Services

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of people are registered with an NHS dentist in England and in each NHS region, strategic health authority area and primary care trust area thereof.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 18 September 2003
	At 30 June 2003, 23.4 million people, or 47.9 per cent. of the population, were registered with dentists providing general dental services. Information showing the percentage of population registered with a dentist in each strategic health authority area and primary care trust area by region, at 30 June 2003, has been placed in the Library.
	Registrations are recorded in the primary care trust area of the dentist.
	Registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentist within 15 months and so the registration figures exclude patients who have not been to their dentist within the past 15 months. The figures also exclude patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services, including dental access centres and those patients who choose not to register and who seek treatment on an occasional basis.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assumptions were made by his Department about the costs of operations in NHS diagnostic and treatment centres relative to the costs of the same operations carried out at existing NHS hospitals in the same part of the country.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 September 2003
	When the new national tariff for the national health service is fully implemented, the price paid by a primary care trust for treatment at a NHS treatment centre will be the same as that paid in any other NHS trust facility, i.e. the national tariff, adjusted by the market forces factor. We expect NHS treatment centres to deliver both high quality services and high standards of productivity and efficiency and therefore we have assumed that their operating costs will be within the national tariff.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been undertaken into the health effects on infants of pre-gelatinised starch in babyfood.

Melanie Johnson: Neither the Department nor the Food Standards Agency has undertaken any such research. Pre-gelatinised starch is included in the list of permitted sources of carbohydrate under the Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations 1995.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will press the Chancellor to introduce taxation on foods which are detrimental to healthy living.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	Tax is a matter for the Budget. Most food is zero-rated for VAT, and we remain committed to our manifesto to pledge not to extend VAT to food. Some foods which might be considered detrimental to healthy living are already liable to VAT at the standard rate of 17.5 per cent. These include ice cream, most confectionary, chocolate biscuits, crisps, soft drinks and all hot foods sold by take-away outlets.

Drug and Alcohol Training Programmes

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which wards and programmes within Sefton have benefited from drug and alcohol training programmes administered by the Government Office of the North West.

Melanie Johnson: The Government office for the North West (GONW) provides an advisory role with regards to drug and alcohol training programmes. As such, the Department is unable to provide details of any wards or programmes within Sefton that have benefited from drug and alcohol training programmes administered by the GONW.
	I have asked that an official from the GONW write to my hon. Friend, setting out its position in more detail regarding the provision of drug and alcohol training programmes.

Food Standards

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his policy on NHS food procurement seeks to encourage the purchase of food produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance on food procurement he has issued to health authorities and trusts; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Department has recently compiled an action plan in response to the recommendations included in the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative, which is being taken forward by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Guidance has already been issued to national health service trusts on how to promote local sourcing, which, together with supporting local communities, is among the key principles of the Department's sustainable development policy.

Food Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of setting up (a) Combase and (b) Growth Predictor; and what sources of funding are being used.

Melanie Johnson: Both Combase and Growth Predictor have been designed to provide those involved in food safety, such as researchers, the food industry and those involved in public health, with easily accessible information to assist with risk assessment and risk management.
	Combase has been developed as a joint venture by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Institute of Food Research and United States Department of Agriculture. Costs have been shared and the United Kingdom Government has contributed data and software to the value of £8 million over the last 15 years.
	Growth Predictor has been funded by the FSA. It cost approximately £200,000 to develop.

Food Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed by the Government in investigating the fraudulent trade in unfit food.

Melanie Johnson: Local authority environmental health and trading standards services, in partnership with officers from the Meat Hygiene Service and the State Veterinary Service, are responsible for investigating fraudulent trade in unfit food. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) provides help and advice to local authorities and has appointed 26 local authority enforcement officers to provide regional advice on investigating unfit food. Each advisor will contribute 10 working days per year to this work on behalf of the FSA. In addition, there is a team of five investigators based at the FSA to assist with this work and two further investigators are being recruited.

Food Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Food Standards Agency has to conduct audits of local councils in England and Wales.

Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency launched its United Kingdom-wide local authority food law enforcement audit scheme in April 2001. Audits are carried out against the requirements of the framework agreement on local authority food law enforcement, which sets out minimum standards of performance. Since the launch of the scheme, 149 local authorities across the UK, including 99 in England and 10 in Wales, have been subject to an audit.

Food Standards

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget of the Food Standards Agency for food sampling for each year since the Food Standards Agency was established.

Melanie Johnson: Food sampling as part of the enforcement of food law is the responsibility of local authorities (LAs). LAs carried out 178,000 and 165,000 samples in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Figures are not yet available for 2002.

Food Standards

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Food Standards Agency's strategy is to ensure the adequacy of future arrangements for the testing of food samples.

Melanie Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 16 July 2003, Official Report, columns 413–14W, relating to the work that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is taking forward in close liaison with local authorities (LAs) and the Association of Public Analysts to ensure that food standards sampling effectively contributes to consumer protection.
	I am also aware that the FSA is working closely with the Health Protection Agency on the procedures for microbiological sampling of food to ensure an adequate system is in place for LAs.

Food Standards

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of testing of food samples was carried out by (a) local authority public analysts, (b) private sector public analysts and (c) the Food Standards Agency's laboratory in York in each year since the Food Standards Agency was established.

Melanie Johnson: Information on numbers of food samples tested by individual public analyst laboratories is not held centrally. It is therefore not possible to break down the information on total samples between types of laboratory in the manner requested.
	According to the Association of Public Analysts' statistics, approximately 82,000 food samples were tested by public analysts in 2001, but the figures are not split between local authority and private sector public analysts.
	The Food Standards Agency does not have its own laboratory. The laboratory in York referred to by the hon. Member is the central science laboratory, an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Food Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are plans to train further local authority enforcement officers in illegal meat imports.

Melanie Johnson: Since April 2003, the Food Standards Agency has run 20 training courses for United Kingdom local authority enforcement officers on imported food issues, which includes the control of illegal meat imports. Further courses are planned, so that enforcement representatives from all UK local authority environmental health Departments, trading standards services and UK ports of entry will have received training by the end of March 2004.

Food Supplements Directive

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet representatives of Consumers for Health Choice to discuss the European Food Supplements Regulations.

Melanie Johnson: I met with a representative of Consumers for Health Choice on Tuesday 7 October to discuss the Food Supplements Regulations.

Food Supplements Directive

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the EU Food Supplements Directive;
	(2)  if he will make a statement about the EU Food Supplements Directive.

Melanie Johnson: Directive 2002/46/EC on Food Supplements came into force on 12 July 2002 and had to be implemented into member states' national legislation by 31 July 2003. The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 were laid before Parliament on 2 June 2003 and the provisions will come into force on 1 August 2005. Parallel legislation has been made in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

G10 Medicines

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has made to the European Commission in response to the G10 Medicines (High Level Group on Innovation and the Provision of Medicines) report.

Rosie Winterton: The G10 Report, presented to President Prodi in May 2002, was produced by a group of European Ministers and leading figures from the pharmaceutical industry, patients' representatives, and European social insurance institutions. The United Kingdom played a key role, being represented by my noble Friend the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health. The European Commission has now produced a Communication to the Council, the European Parliament, and other Institutions (COM 2003/383) This document is available in the Library with an Explanatory Memorandum from the Department of Health.
	These matters are being discussed in both the Health and Competitiveness Councils. My noble Friend Lord Warner, is a member of the G10, working towards the achievement of our policy objectives in relation to the pharmaceutical sector.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) private and (b) NHS dental practices there were in (i) Chesham and Amersham and (ii) Buckinghamshire in each year since 1 January 1996.

Rosie Winterton: No information is available on the number of wholly private dental practices. The Office of Fair Trading report, 'The private dentistry market in the UK', states that about 210 practices in the United Kingdom are totally private.
	The table gives the available information for the number of general dental service (GDS) practices and dentists there were in the old Buckinghamshire Health Authority (HA) area for the years 1996 to 2002 and in the relevant primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2002 and 2003. PCTs took over responsibility from HAs in October 2003.
	These figures exclude dentists working in other national health service dental services, ie., community and personal dental services, hospital dental services and also salaried general dental practitioners and dentists doing no NHS work.
	
		Number of dental practices
		
			  Buckinghamshire HA Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire PCT Milton KeynesPCT Vale of Aylesbury PCT WycombePCT 
		
		
			 At 31 August  
			 1996 118 — — — — 
			 1997 118 — — — — 
			 1998 122 — — — — 
			 1999 121 — — — — 
			 2000 121 — — — — 
			 2001 125 — — — — 
			 2002 125 — — — — 
			 At 30 October  
			 2002 — 38 35 29 29 
			 At 31 August  
			 2003 — 38 36 30 29 
		
	
	Source:Dental Practice Board

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reduce waiting lists in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service is working to reduce waiting times so that, by the end of March 2004, the maximum waiting time for inpatient treatment will be cut to nine months and the maximum waiting time for an outpatient appointment will be cut to 17 weeks.
	Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust has recently initiated a series of agreed actions to reduce waiting times, including telephone validation of waiting lists, private patient initiatives and active re-organisation of waiting lists.
	Future initiatives to further reduce waiting times include schemes to:
	Increase the number of patients who have their operative procedure carried out as a daycase.
	Explore the role of specialist nurses and allied health professionals as alternatives to traditional consultant-led outpatients appointments.
	Introduce measures to improve health and avoid complications, for example, investment in wound care management.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have moved to private practice from the NHS in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire in each year since 1 January 1996; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not collected centrally although the number of dentists engaged solely in private practice is small. The Department's figures indicate that only around 2 per cent. of dentists do only private practice.

Health Protection Agency

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new appropriations have been authorised to fund the Health Protection Agency.

Melanie Johnson: As stated in the consultation document in summer 2002, the creation of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) was cost neutral in terms of public expenditure. Departmental funds allocated to the HPA were drawn largely from those sums previously allocated to its predecessor bodies and organisations.

Hospital Admissions

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of hospital admissions was in (a) 1982, (b) 1992 and (c) 2002.

John Hutton: The average cost of admissions is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year Average cost of a hospital admission (£) 
		
		
			 2001–2002 1,544 
			 1991–1992 1,278 
			 1981–1982 (15)— 
		
	
	(15) Not available

Hospital Bed Costs

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the capital cost is to the NHS of a new hospital bed.

Stephen Ladyman: An indicative cost of creating a new-build hospital bed is approximately £380,000, excluding value added tax, which reflects the current business case approval level. The cost includes the capital construction cost, equipment costs and professional fees incurred, as well as a proportion of the costs of the supporting services within the new hospital, such as operating theatres, out-patient departments, accident and emergency services, catering, office accommodation, public areas, pharmacy, pathology and radiology. It does not include the running costs to make the bed operational, such as staffing, linen or cleaning.
	Figures for providing a new bed in an existing hospital or under a private finance initiative scheme are not available, as there are many factors that can influence the outcome for each of these schemes.

Hospital Ward Housekeeping Services

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of hospitals have implemented a ward housekeeping service; when the target was set for 50 per cent. of all hospitals to have implemented such a service; when it is due to be met; and what the baseline was for the target.

John Hutton: Housekeepers support an improved patient experience by ensuring that wards are clean, enjoyable food is available and that equipment works.
	In June 2000, the NHS Plan set a target for 50 per cent. of hospitals to have a housekeeping service by 2004. At January 2003, 32 per cent. of all hospitals had begun to introduce housekeeping services, rising to 47 per cent. for hospitals with over 100 beds. These larger hospitals account for 86 per cent. of all beds.
	The new style ward housekeeper role was developed with the support of 72 trusts that had already begun to develop services in this area. These trusts had a variety of models, including purely cleaning, or purely catering. The new model is a multi-skilled role, covering both areas.
	Prior to the NHS Plan, housekeeping data were not collected centrally.

Infection Control

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to monitor and improve levels of healthcare-associated infections in community healthcare settings; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to commission qualitative and quantitative studies to investigate infection control practice among community healthcare personnel;
	(3)  what central monitoring and recording is undertaken by his Department on compliance with infection control guidelines in community healthcare settings.

Melanie Johnson: Central monitoring of compliance with infection control in community settings is not undertaken.
	New National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines, "Infection Control: Prevention of Healthcare-associated Infection in Primary and Community Care" were published this summer. These evidence-based guidelines include the standard principles for controlling infection, for example, hand hygiene and the prevention of infections associated with certain invasive devices. They also contain information on the education of healthcare workers, guidance on implementation and audit criteria to assess compliance. Implementation of these guidelines and other initiatives will encourage good practice and help prevent avoidable infections.
	The National health service research and development methodology programme has recently asked for bids for research into surveillance of healthcare associated infection in the community after discharge from hospital treatment.

Involve

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the contribution in 2002–03 by the Department of Health to the budget of Involve is.

Melanie Johnson: Good research governance requires that service users are involved in research design and commissioning to ensure value for money. "Involve", formerly "Consumers in NHS Research", offers support both to research commissioners seeking to fulfil their responsibilities in this respect and to members of the public wishing to contribute to the research process.
	In 2002–03, "Involve's", allocation from the Department's research and development budget was £410,000.

Khat

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of khat on the Somali population in the UK; and what advice his Department gives to local health authorities in developing policies to deal with the issue.

Melanie Johnson: The Home Office commissioned and published a report on khat use in Somalis living in London in 1998, which identified only limited concerns about its use and availability. In addition, the Home Office's drugs and alcohol research unit is shortly to start a detailed study to assess the level of harm caused by khat. The interim findings of this report will be available in spring 2004 and will be considered by the advisory council on the misuse of drugs. It is expected that a final report will be completed in autumn 2004.
	There is currently no specific guidance for local health authorities on this issue, though mental health services and drug services have a range of treatment options for dealing with the effects of stimulant misuse.

Listed NHS Buildings

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the buildings belonging to the NHS which are (a) Grade I and (b) Grade II listed.

John Hutton: The latest estimate available shows that at June 2002 there were 627 listings (8 Grade I; 34 Grade II* and 585 Grade II) on 468 NHS sites. Information on this matter is no longer the subject of routine collection.

Mental Health

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of readmissions of mental health patients within 90 days of discharge was as a proportion of total discharges in each primary care trust (a) for the quarter ending (i) April 1998, (ii) March 2001 and (b) for the most recent quarter available.

Rosie Winterton: Information on readmission rates of mental health patients within 90 days of discharge in each health authority for quarters ending March 1998, March 2001 and March 2002 has been placed in the Library.

Microsoft (Licensing Fees)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; how much has been budgeted for in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and how much the NHS has budgeted to pay Microsoft in licensing fees in (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05.

John Hutton: The total amounts spent on Microsoft products by the Department, its executive agencies and the National Health Service between 2000–01 and 2002–03 are shown in the table.
	
		£
		
			 Year Expenditure bythe Department and executive agencies(16) Expenditure bythe NHS(16) 
		
		
			  
			  
			 2000–01 413,000 32,800,000 
			 2001–02 854,000 34,300,000 
			 2002–03 781,000 66,800,000 
		
	
	(16) All sums are inclusive of VAT
	For 2003–04, the Department and its executive agencies have budgeted approximately £197,000 including VAT. The NHS has budgeted approximately £59,300,000, including VAT, before the expiry of the NHS enterprise agreement in October 2004.
	For 2004–05, the indicative budgets for purchase of Microsoft products for the Department and its executive agencies have not yet been established. Information on the NHS budget beyond the expiry of the NHS enterprise agreement is not available. Negotiations are being undertaken with Microsoft about the possible renewal of the agreement.

MMR

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned into the side effects following (a) the single vaccination for mumps, measles and rubella and (b) the MMR vaccination; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 11 September 2003
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with expert advice from the independent advisory committee the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) is responsible for ensuring that medicines and vaccines on the United Kingdom market meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy.
	MMR (combined measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and some single component measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are licensed in the UK. Licensed vaccines are assessed for safety prior to the licence being granted. Information on side-effects known to be associated with these vaccines is included in the relevant product information. As with all vaccines and medicines, after licensing, the MHRA and CSM keep the safety of MMR vaccine and single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines under continual review. The MHRA uses a number of data sources to monitor the safety of medicines and vaccines. These include reports of suspected adverse drug reactions spontaneously provided by health professionals through the 'Yellow Card' scheme. This voluntary scheme has been in existence since 1964 and has a proven track record in identifying important new safety concerns with medicines. Other data sources include periodic reviews of safety information submitted by the licence holders, medical literature and the results of any new clinical trials or epidemiological studies.
	Many studies, including one commissioned by the MHRA (then the Medicines Control Agency) in 1998, have specifically investigated the alleged association between MMR vaccines and the development of autism and have found no evidence of a causal link. The CSM has considered these studies and the general safety of MMR vaccines on several occasions in recent years and its advice remains that MMR vaccine is the safest way to protect children from three potentially serious infections. This advice is consistent with the advice of expert bodies around the world. No studies are available that have examined the effects of giving single vaccines separately on a population.

Multiple Sclerosis

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have received treatment for multiple sclerosis through the Risk Sharing scheme; and whether the target of 9,000 patients by November will be reached.

Rosie Winterton: We estimate that at the end of August, some 6,300 patients were receiving treatment with a disease modifying treatment for their multiple sclerosis. Around 300 patients each month are being initiated on treatment.
	The figure of 9,000 patients mentioned in Health Service Circular 2002/004 is not a target, but represents an estimate of the total number of patients who might be eligible for treatment under the guidelines prepared by the Association of British Neurologists.

NHS Administration

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new (a) units, (b) departments and (c) organisations have been created in the NHS by legislation and regulation since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Since 1997, the Department has established:
	Two health authorities (HAs) in 1999, four in 2001, and 28 on 1 April 2002. On that date, the 95 HAs then existing, including those set up in 1999 and 2001, were abolished and 28 new HAs were established. These new HAs were renamed strategic health authorities from October 2002.
	11 special health authorities.
	481 primary care groups (PCGs) on 1 April 1999 as sub-committees of existing HAs. All PCGs have now moved to primary care trust (PCT) status, either individually or by the merger of one or more PCGs and previously existing national health service community health care trusts. There are now 303 PCTs, two of which are designated as care trusts (CTs). There are a further five NHS trusts designated as CTs.
	129 NHS trusts.
	No units or departments have been created by NHS legislation since 1997.

NHS Administration

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many administrative staff were employed by the NHS, broken down by (a) category and (b) salary scale, in each of the last five years.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 September 2003
	Information on the number of administrative staff employed in the national health service by salary scale is not collected centrally. Information on the number of administrative staff by area of work is shown in the table.
	
		NHS administrative staff in England by area of work as at 30 September each specified year -- Headcount
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Total clerical and administrative staff(17) 185,214 191,738 199,603 211,653 227,303 
			   
			 All clerical and administrative staff 162,521 167,451 174,347 184,229 195,009 
			 Central functions(17) 71,079 73,996 77,628 81,439 85,706 
			 Hotel, property and estates(18) 10,025 9,630 8,341 8,516 8,392 
			 St&t support(19) 12,703 12,726 12,986 13,374 14,666 
			 Clinical support(19) 66,145 68,425 72,406 77,861 83,312 
			 Ambulance support(19) 2,569 2,674 2,986 3,039 2,933 
			   
			 All administrative managers(20) 22,693 24,287 25,256 27,424 32,294 
			 Central functions 16,981 18,265 19,244 20,909 24,775 
			 Hotel, property and estates 2,305 2,287 1,960 1,978 2,032 
			 St&t support 420 437 486 506 666 
			 Clinical support 2,672 2,980 3,271 3,635 4,426 
			 Ambulance support 315 318 295 396 395 
			   
			 GP Practice Administrative staff — — — — — 
		
	
	(17) Includes staff working in such areas as personnel, finance, IT, legal services, library services and general management support services.
	(18) Staff working in clerical and administrative support of areas such as laundry, catering, domestic services and gardens.
	(19) Clerical and administrative staff in support of clinical areas such as medical secretaries and medical records officers.
	(20) Staff with overall responsibility for budgets, manpower or assets, or accountable for a significant area of work. This excludes nursing, ST&T and ambulance managers in posts requiring specific clinical qualifications.

NHS Administration

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the administrative cost of the NHS was as a percentage of its total budget in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: The administrative cost of the national health service as a percentage of its budget in each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Total health authority and primary care trust administration and NHS trust management costs (£ million) NHS total expenditure: England(£ million) Administration costs as percentage of NHS budget 
		
		
			 1997–98 1.962,983 34,664 5.7 
			 1998–99 1.935,116 36,608 5.3 
			 1999–2000 2.095,224 40,215 5.2 
			 2000–01 2.166,011 43,951 4.9 
			 2001–02 2.565,092 49,279 5.2 
		
	
	Note:Administration expenditure includes the cost of the board, commissioning administration, community health council expenditure, primary care trust preparation costs, some public health staff costs, capital charges, etc.—ie all expenditure which is not related to the provision of patient and social care and staff training.

NHS Administration

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of (a) medical and dental staff and (b) administration and estates staff was in each year since 1997 (i) in cash terms and (ii) as a proportion of total NHS expenditure.

John Hutton: Expenditure on medical and dental staff and administration and estates staff, in the Hospital and Community Health Services in England, between 1997–98 and 2001–02, is shown in table 1.
	
		Table 1 -- £
		
			  Medical anddental staff Administrative and clerical staff and maintenance and works staff 
		
		
			 1997–98 3,021,917,492 2,057,163,826 
			 1998–99 3,300,976,457 2,169,826,239 
			 1999–2000 3,664,710,847 2,313,931,257 
			 2000–01 4,138,320,465 2,519,278,346 
			 2001–02 4,790,866,706 2,843,734,268 
		
	
	Source:Annual Financial returns of Health Authorities, NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts.
	Expenditure on these staff, expressed as a proportion of total net national health service expenditure in England during the same period, is shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2 -- Percentage
		
			  Medical anddental staff Administrative and clerical staff and maintenance and works staff 
		
		
			 1997–98 0.087 0.059 
			 1998–99 0.090 0.059 
			 1999–2000 0.092 0.058 
			 2000–01 0.094 0.057 
			 2001–02 0.097 0.058 
		
	
	Source:Annual Financial returns of Health Authorities, NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts and the Departmental Reports 2001CM5103 and 2003 CM5904.
	In April 2001, NHS accounting and budgeting changed to a resource based system. Figures for 2001–02 are not comparable with previous years.
	Expenditure on NHS staff in Scotland and Wales is a matter for the devolved administrations. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.

NHS Expenditure

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much per capita has been spent by the NHS in (a) the North East and (b) the UK in (i) 1996, (ii) 2000 and (iii) (projected for) 2003.

John Hutton: Information on the average level of National Health Service spending per weighted head of population in the north east and in England is shown in the table. Information is not yet available for 2002–03.
	
		£ per head
		
			  1996–97 2000–01 
		
		
			  
			  
			 The North East 615.31 796.11 
			 England 625.56 825.38 
		
	
	Notes:1. Health authority annual accounts 1996–97Health authority summarisation forms 2000–01Primary care trust summarisation forms 2000–01Weighted population figures for 1996–1997 and 2000–012. In many health authorities there are factors which distort the expenditure per head. These include:The health authority acting in a lead capacity to commission healthcare or fund, training on behalf of other health bodies.Asset revaluations in NHS Trusts being funded through health authorities.For these reasons expenditure per head cannot be compared reliably between health authorities.3. Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.4. Expenditure is taken from audited health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The expenditure is the total expenditure by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within the health authority and region area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust summarisation forms and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board. An element of pharmaceutical services expenditure is accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by health authorities.5. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting in 2000–01 where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. This element cannot be identified in 2000–01.6. The North East has been taken to include the geographical areas covered by the following Health Authorities:County Durham and Darlington Health Authority.Gateshead and South Tyneside Health Authority.Newcastle and North Tyneside Health Authority.Northumberland Health Authority.Sunderland Health Authority.Tees Health Authority.

NHS Direct

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on how the NHS Direct service has developed since March 2000.

Rosie Winterton: NHS Direct has developed since March 2000 to become the world's largest e-health service, supporting over a million patients every month through its telephone advice and information service and associated website. In this time, NHS Direct has symbolised the changing relationship between the national health service and patients, supporting patients to become more empowered, better informed and more able to exercise choices over their own health and health care.
	NHS Direct has been available to callers throughout England since the end of October 2000. Call volumes have grown by 49 per cent. since March 2000. Independent evaluation highlights a service that is safe, popular and increases access to advice and information without increasing demands on other parts of the NHS. Caller satisfaction rates have continued at over 95 per cent. and 45 per cent. of calls to the service are completed without referral to another service. The roll-out of NHS Direct was commended in a report by the National Audit Office, published in January 2002, which estimated that the service covered 50 per cent. of its running costs by reducing demands on other services in the NHS.
	In November 2001, NHS Direct Online was re-launched to include an interactive inquiry service, which is able to provide patients with detailed information about topics not covered on the website. NHS Direct Online receives half a million on-line transactions every month. NHS Direct Online has been awarded one of the first ever eEurope awards for eHealth by the European Commission. 200 applications were received from 22 countries. At a conference and award ceremony in Brussels in May this year, attended by European Commissioners and 33 Ministers from across the member states, Bob Gann, Director of NHS Direct Online, received the award for "Empowering Citizens in Management of Health and Wellbeing". The panel judged entries against criteria including economic benefit, accessibility, quality assurance, technical standards and European applicability.
	NHS Direct achieved the Prime Minister's pledge that, by the end of September 2001, patients who wished to would be able to obtain advice on dental issues and details of NHS dentists simply by phoning NHS Direct.
	NHS Direct introduced a dedicated textphone service in November 2001.The service connects callers to NHS Direct nurses, who have had specialist training to help them meet the needs of textphone users.
	Since March 2002, access to out-of-hours care through NHS Direct has been available to 10 million patients. By December 2004, technical and operational links will be in place to allow NHS Direct to transfer calls to any out-of-hours provider in the country. Full clinical integration of services will follow as soon as possible thereafter.
	The first version of the NHS Direct performance framework was launched in March 2002. The framework is based on the principle of continuous quality improvement and outlines responsibilities and tools for service delivery and the monitoring of performance and improvement at all levels of the organisation—from the individual to the national service. The framework also outlines a set of key performance targets for NHS Direct, areas for the development of clinical indicators and areas for the development of internal management measures. NHS Direct has embarked on a major programme for improving its productivity. This delivered a 15 per cent. increase in call volumes in 2002–03, without any increase in staff numbers.
	NHS Direct aims to support the NHS in many areas, including contributing to a responsible and coherent response to public health. NHS Direct has worked with the Department and other stakeholders to provide a public helpline in the event of health alerts. These have ranged from local incidents, for example, chemical spills, to handling calls during a multi-regional hepatitis C look-back exercise, as well as the Alder Hey independent inquiry. Since March 2000, it has handled a total of 631 health alerts.
	Since April 2002, NHS Direct has been able to directly refer patients to pharmacists, where appropriate, for advice about medication or minor ailments or injuries. This has helped many patients receive a quicker and more appropriate response to their problems. It also makes better use of the skills of pharmacists and helps relieve some pressure on general practitioners.
	The strategy document for developing NHS Direct, published in April 2003, sets out the continued commitment to this popular and innovative service. The impact of new financial investment will further support plans to use technology and new ways of working to boost productivity and increase capacity. In total, NHS Direct will aim to expand its call taking capacity three fold in the next three years, while at the same time, developing the various channels through which patients can access the service.

NHS Estate (Health and Safety)

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department met their target in the NHS plan of ensuring that 90 per cent. of the NHS estate was health and safety compliant by March 2002; what percentage of the estate did not comply with health and safety regulations in March 2002; and what new deadlines have been set on health and safety in the NHS estate;
	(2)  whether his Department met their target in the NHS Plan to eliminate the fire safety backlog in the NHS Estate by March 2003.

John Hutton: Trusts that did not report full compliance will cover a wide variety of conditions, including that which is only just below standard. At 31 March 2002, 10.55 per cent, of patient-occupied floor area was below health and safety compliance and 8.57 per cent. below statutory fire safety standards.
	Trusts generally manage high-risk deficiencies as a priority in order to ensure that premises are intrinsically safe and not of concern to local enforcement bodies.
	Further improvements to health and safety and fire safety will result from the current priorities and planning framework targets for reducing the backlog of maintenance by 25 per cent. by 2004.

Nurses and Care Workers (Gender)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on patients being (a) offered a choice and (b) consulted on the gender of the nurses and careworkers who treat them; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Department is committed to increasing patient choice in the national health service to ensure that its services are more responsive to the needs of individual patients. The first step in increasing patient choice is to provide patients waiting for elective surgery with choice over the hospital in which they are treated. By the summer of 2004, all patients waiting six months for surgery will be offered the choice to move to another hospital. From December 2005, patients who may require elective surgery will be offered a choice of four or five hospitals or providers when their general practitioner refers them. We have also launched a national consultation exercise—'Choice, Responsiveness and Equity in the NHS and social care'—to get the views of patients and NHS staff on extending patient choice within the NHS beyond elective surgery. Fundamental to increasing the responsiveness of services is ensuring that patients are afforded privacy and dignity, including taking into account their views as to the gender of their nurses and care workers.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to answer outstanding ordinary written questions tabled by the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam for answer before 7 July. 2003.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 17 July 2003
	All ordinary written questions tabled by the hon. Member before 7 July have now been answered.

Parliamentary Questions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the questions tabled by the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell which have been due for answer for over five sitting days; and when he expects to answer them.

John Hutton: At 17 July, there were two questions outstanding to the hon. Member. I replied to one on 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 157W, and to the other on 18 September 2003, Official Report, column 977W.

Parliamentary Questions

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many questions directed to him remain unanswered.

Rosie Winterton: At 6 October 2003, 215 parliamentary questions remained unanswered, of which, 63 were not yet due for answer.

Pneumococcal Vaccination

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide pneumococcal vaccination to people over 65.

Melanie Johnson: A new pneumococcal immunisation programme for adults aged 65 years and over was announced on 20 August 2003 and will be introduced over the next three years.

Post-operative Care

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been carried out into the impact of greater consultant involvement in post-operative care; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Department has not conducted any research on the impact of greater consultant involvement in post-operative care.
	The Policy Research Programme ((PRP) has recently been asked to commission research on early warning scoring systems and outreach services for adult critical care; both of which can help improve experience and outcomes for patients with potential or actual need of critical care services. The PRP is liaising with the NHS Service Delivery and Organisation National R&D Programme, which has commissioned an evaluation of outreach services in critical care.

PAF PI E50

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of people in each of the last five years, broken down by client group, were assessed and (a) received and (b) did not receive a service as recorded in PAF PI E50.

Melanie Johnson: The latest information available on the number and percentage of clients aged 18 and over that were assessed and received and did not receive a service is shown in tables 1 and 2 for 2000–01 and 2001–02. Data for previous years is not available.
	
		Table 1: Number of clients that (a) received and (b) did not receive a service, broken down by client group -- Rounded numbers
		
			  2000–01(21) 2001–02(22) 
			 Client groups Total clients assessed Received a service(23) Did not receive a service(24) Total clients assessed Received a service(23) Did not receive a service(24) 
		
		
			 All primary client types 1,008,000 683,000 326,000 1,020,000 683,000 317,000 
			 Physical & sensory Disability/Frailty 773,000 538,000 235,000 780,000 536,000 231,000 
			 of which:   
			 Physical disability 396,000 283,000 113,000 351,000 241,000 104,000 
			 hearing 23,000 17,000 6,000 22,000 16,000 5,300 
			 visual 45,000 30,000 14,000 33,000 23,000 9,400 
			 dual 5,500 4,300 1,400 5,000 3,500 1,400 
			 frailty 257,000 179,000 78,000 278,000 192,000 80,000 
			 Learning Disability 28,000 17,000 11,000 28,000 18,000 10,000 
			 Mental Health 131,000 83,000 49,000 129,000 77,000 51,000 
			 of which:   
			 dementia 31,000 24,000 7,300 31,000 23,000 8,000 
			 Substance Abuse 10,000 7,400 2,900 12,000 7,300 4,200 
			 Other vulnerable people 65,000 38,000 27,000 70,000 45,000 21,000 
			 of which:   
			 asylum seekers 3,000 2,300 1,000 1,200 800 300 
			 welfare benefits 2,400 2,000 600 4,700 4,200 400 
		
	
	(21) National estimates based on 147 councils for form A1 and 137 councils for form A5.
	(22) National estimates based on 149 councils for form A1 and 147 councils for form A5.
	(23) Clients receiving a service include, 'some or all (new) services started,' 'some (new) services intended but none started' and '(new) service(s) offered but declined.'
	(24) Clients not receiving a service include 'no (new) services offered or intended' and 'other sequel to assessment.'
	(25) Figures may not add due to rounding and differences between forms A1 and A5.Source:RAP Forms A5 and A1
	
		Table 2: Percentage of clients that (a) received and (b) did not receive a service, broken down by client group -- Rounded numbers and percentage
		
			  2000–01(26) 2001–02(27) 
			 Client groups Total clients assessed Percentage of clients receiving a service(28) Percentage of clients not receiving a service(29) Total clients assessed Percentage of clients receiving a service(28) Percentage of clients not receiving a service(29) 
		
		
			 All primary client types 1,008,000 68 32 1,020,000 68 32 
			 Physical & sensory Disability/Frailty 773,000 70 30 780,000 70 30 
			 of which:   
			 Physical disability 396,000 71 29 351,000 70 30 
			 hearing 23,000 74 26 22,000 75 25 
			 visual 45,000 68 32 33,000 71 29 
			 dual 5,500 75 25 5,000 71 29 
			 frailty 257,000 70 30 278,000 71 29 
			 Learning Disability 28,000 61 39 28,000 64 36 
			 Mental Health 131,000 63 37 129,000 60 40 
			 of which:   
			 dementia 31,000 77 23 31,000 74 26 
			 Substance Abuse 10,000 72 28 12,000 63 37 
			 Other vulnerable people 65,000 58 42 70,000 68 32 
			 of which:   
			 asylum seekers 3,000 70 30 1,200 73 27 
			 welfare benefits 2,400 77 23 4,700 91 9 
		
	
	(26) National estimates based on 147 councils for form A1 and 137 councils for form A5.
	(27) National estimates based on 149 councils for form A1 and 147 councils for form A5.
	(28) Clients receiving a service include, 'some or all (new) services started,' 'some (new) services intended but none started' and '(new) service(s) offered but declined.'
	(29) Clients not receiving a service include 'no (new) services offered or intended' and 'other sequel to assessment.'
	(30) Figures may not add due to rounding and differences between forms A1 and A5.Source:RAP Forms A5 and A

Pre-booked Hospital Treatment

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of out-patient appointments and in-patient elective admissions are pre-booked; and what proportion were pre-booked at the start of 2000–01.

John Hutton: Information on day case booking rates from March 2003 can be found at: http://www. doh.gov.uk/nhsplanbookingsystems/booking.htm
	Information on out-patient and in-patient combined (day case plus ordinary in-patient admission) booking rates will be made available on the website in due course.

Spectacles

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the efficacy of providing tinted spectacle lenses to assist children with reading difficulties; and what plans he has to make them more widely available.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 16 September 2003
	There are indications that some children in their teens may benefit from precision-tinted lenses.
	However, unless precision-tinted lenses are provided as part of a proper scheme of assessment and treatment, many children may receive them unnecessarily. There is a risk that more appropriate responses to their needs will be delayed while time is taken up investigating tinted lenses. Without proper evaluation of the therapy for each individual, which is less likely if provided outside the education network, there is no proper indication of its effectiveness.

Spectacles

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children with a refractive error in their vision receive financial support for the cost of coloured glass spectacles.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 16 September 2003
	For 2002–03 in England, 8,850 pairs of spectacles with tints for 0 to 15-year-olds were reimbursed by primary care trusts.

Student Nurses (Fees)

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to extend the present remission for student nurses from higher education tuition fees to top-up fees incurred after 2006.

John Hutton: While the proposals contained in the Department for Education and Skills' White Paper include allowing universities to increase tuition fees, there is as yet no clear indication from the higher education sector of the scope or scale of any increased charges. The Department will take measures to ensure that any increase in the cost of university courses will not have an adverse impact on the supply, retention, diversity or quality of students undertaking nurse training.

Thalidomide Trust

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he has had with the Thalidomide Trust in the last 12 months; and what advice and assistance he has offered to the Trust.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has not had any meetings with the Thalidomide Trust over the past 12 months. The Government paid £5 million to the Trust in 1974 and £0.8 million in 1978, following misunderstandings about the tax treatment of the fund. In 1996, we made a further payment to the Trust of £7 million in recognition of the unique and tragic circumstances which surround the thalidomide disaster. The Department would always be happy to meet with the Trust if it so wishes.

Urology/Gastrointestinal Surgery (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the current situation whereby a child discharged from hospital following urology and gastrointestinal surgery receives no community paediatric support.

Stephen Ladyman: The level of support each individual child receives upon discharge from hospital is a matter for local decision. This will be based upon the child's degree of dependency and will involve the hospital concerned working in close liaison with local primary health care staff and the community nursing team.
	The forthcoming national service framework for children will set standards aimed at raising the quality of the health and social care services that children receive and will include consideration of the best means to support children post-discharge from hospital.

Waiting Times

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the (a) mean and (b) median waiting times were for (i) initial and (ii) follow-up appointments for physiotherapy care for each primary care trust for the most recent three quarters available;
	(2)  what the (a) mean and (b) median waiting times were for (i) initial and (ii) follow-up appointments for (A) chiropody, (B) podiatry and (C) foot clinics for each primary care trust for the most recent three quarters available.

John Hutton: This information is not collected centrally.

Waiting Times

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it policy that no patient referred to an NHS hospital for a hearing test should wait longer than two months.

Rosie Winterton: While there are no targets for waiting times for audiology services, we are taking action to tackle the causes of longer waits as part of our programme to modernise hearing aid services in England. These are increased demand arising from public awareness of digital hearing aids and a recognised national shortage of audiologists.
	The modernisation project team at the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and the action on team from the modernisation agency are working with sites to help them reduce waiting times. We are introducing a new, more streamlined patient process in modernised sites. We are looking at ways to increase the number of trained audiologists in the longer term and are encouraging partnerships between national health service trusts and high street registered hearing aid dispensers to increase capacity and make NHS hearing aids available, free of charge, from an increasing number of convenient locations.

Waiting Times

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have waited more than (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months for an elective finished in-year admission in (i) 1997–98 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The number of patients who waited for more than three, six and 12 months are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Total patients waited 1997–98 2001–02 
		
		
			 More than 3 months 1,149,122 1,169,469 
			 More than 6 months 608,276 609,684 
			 More than 12 months 185,956 190,158 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Count of finished in-year admission episodes.
	2. Elective finished in-year admissions from waiting list and booked cases by time waited, NHS hospitals, England 1997–98 and 2001–02.3. Admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.4. A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.5. Grossing—figures have not (yet) been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Walk-in Centres

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards are in place to prevent patients using walk-in centres to gain access to prescription drugs without visiting or informing their GP.

John Hutton: All prescribing or supply of medicines at national health service walk-in centres is undertaken by qualified independent prescribers, or within clinical protocols set by patient group directions. In addition, clinical information is normally shared with the patient's general practitioner.

Walk-in Centres

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reviews he has commissioned into NHS walk-in centres and their impact on demand on other health services; and if he will place copies of the reviews in the Library.

John Hutton: An independent evaluation of national health service walk-in centres was published by Bristol University in July 2002. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library.

Walk-in Centres

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have been employed in walk-in centres in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each strategic health authority in each year since walk-in centres were first established.

John Hutton: National health service walk-in centres are managed locally by their host primary care trust or NHS trust. Information on staff numbers is not held centrally.

Xenotransplantation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what factors underlay the decision of UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority not to publish the legal and ethics review of xenotransplantation produced by Professor McLean and Dr. Williamson;
	(2)  if he will publish the useful discussion points identified by the UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority in their consideration of the ethics review of xenotransplantation produced by Professor McLean and Dr. Williamson;
	(3)  what advice his Department gave to the UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority regarding the legal review by Professor McLean and Dr. Williamson, with particular reference to the question of its publication.

Rosie Winterton: While there are no plans to publish Professor McLean's legal and ethics review as a United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority (UKXIRA) document, UKXIRA and the Department have no objections to the review being published by the author. The Department encourages researchers to publish their findings in peer review journals and Professor McLean is contractually free to make the review and the discussions within it available to the public. As is customary, the summary of the review will be placed on the Department's research findings register (which is available on the Department's website) and the summary of the research papers will be placed on the UKXIRA website. Due to the interest shown in the review, a copy will be placed in the Library for information shortly.

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to seek an amendment to the law on abortion to allow women undergoing medical abortion to self administer the prostaglandin at home;
	(2)  how many abortions have been performed in the United Kingdom on the grounds of foetal handicap under the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended); and what percentage of the total number of abortions performed under the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended) this constitutes;
	(3)  how many abortions have been performed in the United Kingdom in order to save the life of the mother under the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended); and what percentage of the total number of abortions performed under the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended) this constitutes;
	(4)  when the Government last commissioned research on the safety of the abortion pill mifepristone.

Melanie Johnson: The Government have no plans to seek an amendment to the law on abortion. All abortions in England are currently carried out under Section 1(3) of the Abortion Act which states that any treatment for the termination of pregnancy must be carried out in an NHS hospital or an approved independent sector place. There is provision under Section l(3a) for medical abortion to be carried out in an approved class of place but we have not yet determined what a "class of place" should be. No "class of place" will be approved unless we are content that a woman's safety is not at risk.
	The safety of mifepristone was fully evaluated on behalf of the Government at the time of granting a marketing authorisation in 1991 by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). The use of mifepristone is continually monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (formerly the MCA) using spontaneous adverse drug reaction reports, periodic safety reviews and all other available safety data to ensure its continued safe use. Also, there have been a number of studies and reviews of the safety of mifepristone published in the scientific literatures since 1991.
	In the years 1968 to 2001 inclusive, there were 4.56 million reported abortions performed on residents of England and Wales. Of these, 63,897, or 1.4 per cent., were performed under section l(l)(d) of the Abortion Act 1967 as amended. These are cases where there was a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. 39,464, or 0.9 per cent., of the total were performed under section l(l)(c) of the Abortion Act 1967 as amended. These are cases where the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman; greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
	The Abortion Act 1967 applies to England, Wales and Scotland only. Abortions performed in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Executive.

Abortion

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions there have been, and what the annual percentage change has been, since 1996.

Melanie Johnson: The total numbers of abortions performed on residents of England and Wales under the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended) for each year since 1996 and the annual percentage change are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Total numberof abortions Year on year percentage change 
		
		
			 1996 167,916 — 
			 1997 170,145 1.3 
			 1998 177,871 4.5 
			 1999 173,701 -2.3 
			 2000 175,542 1.1 
			 2001 176,364 0.5 
		
	
	Information on abortions in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Executive. The Abortion Act 1967 does not apply to Northern Ireland.

Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many treatments are planned to be provided at the new treatment centre at Ashford (Middlesex) hospital during the five year contract; and what proportion of these will be in addition to the number that would be provided during the same period in the facilities that will be used by Mercury Health Ltd.

John Hutton: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The treatment centre at Ashford plans to provide treatment for 1,711 patients annually, a total of 8,555 patients over the five years of the contract.
	The treatment centre is a refurbishment of a facility that is currently out of commission. The development allows this capacity to be made available for national health service care.

Cancer Nursing

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent meetings Ministers (a) have had and (b) are planning with (i) nursing, (ii) clinical, (iii) voluntary sector and (iv) service user organisations about the development of cancer nursing to meet (A) current and (B) projected demand for cancer nursing within the NHS.

Melanie Johnson: I will be meeting my hon. Friend on 29 October 2003, to discuss cancer nursing.

Cancer Nursing

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting targets on cancer care.

Melanie Johnson: Thanks to major additional investment and the hard work of those working in the national health service we are making real progress in implementing the NHS Cancer Plan. Patients are benefiting from improvements across all aspects of cancer care.
	For example there are an extra 1,000 cancer consultants compared with 1997; nearly 99 per cent. of people with suspected cancer are now seen by a specialist within two weeks of being referred by their general practitioner; we have improved the quality of breast screening by the introduction of two view mammography and have extended the breast screening service to include women aged 65 to 70 resulting in nearly 200,000 extra women being invited since April 2001. The introduction of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has meant that over 31,000 extra patients can benefit from new cancer drugs. We have increased the NHS funding of specialist palliative care by £50 million a year, an increase of nearly 40 per cent. and latest figures show a reduction of 9 per cent. in the death rate from cancer.

Community Health Councils

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has had from community health councils in England about the operational difficulties they face from extending their activities beyond September 2003.

Rosie Winterton: Since the announcement of 4 June 2003 to postpone the abolition of community health councils (CHSs) until 1 December 2003, representations have been made by a number of CHCs highlighting potential difficulties. The exact number of cases could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Discussions have taken place with various stakeholder groups, including the relevant trades unions and the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales, to gain a better understanding of the operational issues involved. Guidance and advice has been made available to local managers.

Consultant Numbers

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many extra consultants between 1999 and 2004 were already planned for when the target of 7,500 extra consultants was published in July 2000; and whether these consultants were included in the figure of 7,500.

John Hutton: The Department was already planning for a substantial expansion in consultant numbers. The NHS Plan target of 7,500 consultants was based on identified need for additional growth to meet the service targets.

Delayed Discharges

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the targets that his Department has set (a) Suffolk county council and (b) primary care trusts for delayed discharges in Suffolk.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department does not set individual councils or primary care trusts targets for reductions in delayed discharges. The Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Act 2003 has established a system of reimbursement, fully operational from January 2004, that provides an incentive for councils and health bodies to work closer together to reduce delays. Continued reductions in the levels of delayed discharges are therefore expected.

Delayed Discharges

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the national delayed discharges figures for each quarter in 2002–03.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 15 September 2003
	Delayed discharge figures for each quarter of 2002–03 have been published and are available in the Library.

E.coli

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to the public on the risk of contracting E.coli while camping.

Melanie Johnson: The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson in his Annual Report for 2001 alerted the public to the risks of contracting Escherichia coli 0157 infection and provided advice as to how to avoid infection.
	The Department of Health works in close collaboration with other Government Departments, particularly the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and with the Scottish Executive in providing to the public, to farmers and others responsible for farmland that might be used for recreational purposes, information on the risks of E.coli 0157 and how to avoid infection.
	Following the recommendations of the joint FSA/Scottish Executive Task Force on E.coli 0157 relating to access to and use of rural land, advice was issued nationally in 2001 by the Scottish Executive to relevant organisations, including the National Farmers Union, the National Scout Association and the Guide Association on how to avoid ill health during recreation on farmland. This advice was re-issued in 2003.
	The key points of this advice are that where possible, fields used for grazing or stockholding of animals should not be used for camping, picnicking, or play areas.
	If fields that have been used for grazing or stockholding animals are to be used for recreational purposes, the following precautions should be taken:
	keep farm animals off the fields for the three weeks prior to and during the event/use;
	remove any visible dung/faeces—preferably at the beginning of the three week period;
	mow the grass—keep it short and remove the clippings before fields are used for recreation;
	inform leaders of recreational/leisure groups (for example scouts, guides etc.) of the need for good hygiene practice (such as hand washing) and to treat drinking or personal washing water taken from streams.
	The HSE produced specific guidance to farmers on how to avoid the risks from E.coli 0157 infection associated with recreational use of farmland and issued press notices to remind farmers and others responsible for farmland of this guidance in 2001. This guidance supplemented existing guidance, revised in 2001, for farmers contained in the HSE's Agricultural Information Sheet 23 "Avoiding ill health at open farms". The HSE has also produced a video which highlights the risk of contamination from farm animals, buildings and equipment and advises on the need for good hygiene and the importance of hand washing before eating and drinking in preventing infection with E.coli 0157. The advice and the video are available on the HSE's website.
	The Department of Health disseminated this advice through the website www. wiredforhealth.gov.uk.
	Advice for the public on the importance of handwashing prior to eating or drinking in preventing E.coli 0157 infection is reinforced through the FSA's five year Food Hygiene Campaign which reiterates seasonal food safety messages at regular intervals.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) research effort and (b) clinical specialism is provided by the NHS to help sufferers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department keeps its priorities for research under review. Priorities for departmental research and development support for the development of policy are determined through discussion with policy colleagues and Ministers. In the national health service, priorities are identified through widespread consultation with those using, delivering and managing services. They take account of the burden of disease, potential benefits and departmental objectives, as well as the responsibilities and work of other funders—including the charities.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is not currently funding any research into Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, though it does fund a number of research projects into connective tissue and also into collagen physiology. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.
	The provision of treatment for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome patients is part of the responsibility of health authorities. They must make arrangements for the health of their populations, as they are closest to the people they serve and so best placed to respond sensitively to their needs. People with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome have access to a range of specialists depending on the individual diagnosis. These include orthopaedic surgeons, rheumatologists, cardiologists, vascular surgeons, neurosurgeons, dermatologists and clinical geneticists.

Epsom and St. Helier Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff, broken down by grade, work in the accident and emergency departments at (a) Epsom and (b) St Helier hospitals.

John Hutton: Data are only collected at national health service trust level. The following table shows hospital medical staff within the accident and emergency speciality by grade in Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust.
	
		Hospital medical staff within the accident and emergency specialty by grade in Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust
		
			 As at 30 September 2002 Numbers (headcount) 
		
		
			 All staff 30 
			 Consultant (31)— 
			 Staff Grade 10 
			 Associate Specialist (31)— 
			 Registrar Group (31)— 
			 Senior House Officer 10 
			 House Officer (31)— 
			 Hospital Practitioner (32)— 
			 Clinical Assistant (31)— 
			 Other (32)— 
		
	
	(31) Five or fewer than five.
	(32) Zero.
	Notes
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

Epsom and St. Helier Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assumptions were made in reaching the figure of £340 million capital spend in Option 4 of the Strategic Outline Case for the Epsom and St Helier Clinical Services Strategy.

John Hutton: This is a matter for south west London strategic health authority (SHA) and Surrey and Sussex SHA. I understand the latest position is that a strategic outline case for an Epsom and St Helier clinical services strategy is still to be finalised.
	All the assumptions will be tested carefully before a decision is taken on how best to take the scheme forward.

Epsom and St. Helier Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of patients treated in the accident and emergency departments of Epsom and St Helier hospitals in each of the past 24 months.

John Hutton: Information on the number of patients treated in the accident and emergency (A&E) department of Epsom and St Helier Hospitals is not collected centrally.
	Attendances at A&E departments, minor injury units and walk in centres, Epsom and St Helier national health service Trust for the period second quarter, 2001–02, to first quarter, 2003–04, is shown in the table as the closest available data. This information is collected on a quarterly rather than monthly basis.
	
		
			  Quarter Attendances 
		
		
			 2003–04 1 32,934 
			 2002–03 4 29,895 
			 2002–03 3 26,871 
			 2002–03 2 27,839 
			 2002–03 1 28,379 
			 2001–02 4 29,297 
			 2001–02 3 29,931 
			 2001–02 2 30.557 
			
			 Total past 24 months  235,703

Eye Tests

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to encourage more regular and thorough eye tests for children to check for cancers, with particular reference to retinoblastoma.

Rosie Winterton: Doctors and opticians who test sight have a duty to undertake an examination of the eye and perform whatever tests they feel are necessary at the time. The examination undertaken has the purpose of detecting signs of injury, disease or abnormality in the eye and the doctors or opticians carrying them out will be aware of retinoblastoma and the signs to look for on the retina.
	Free sight tests are available under the National Health Service to large parts of the population, including all children and those aged 16–18 in full-time education. Sight tests are the ideal opportunity to review all aspects of eye health, including investigations for signs of disease. In 2001–02, 9.8 million NHS sight tests were paid for by health authorities. 2.4 million of those were for children.
	We have promoted a system of child health and development checks. The programme of home visiting and community development makes an important contribution to many areas of health education and fosters the early detection of problems, including those associated with eye sight in young pre-school children. The programme also provides the opportunity to develop closer relationships between the family and the primary care team. Work on developing the children's national service framework continues and the healthy child module will take into account the views expressed by the National Screening Committee (Children's Sub-Group) on the need for child eye screening.

Fluoride

Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) providing fluoride to children through milk and (b) disbursing fluoride via the water supply.

Melanie Johnson: The cost of implementing the seven trial milk fluoridation schemes under way in the United Kingdom has been relatively modest, due to the fact that existing school milk programmes have been utilised. The actual cost of fluoridating milk is minimal and in most schemes has been absorbed by the dairy. About one half day a week of an oral health promotion officer's time is required to administer each scheme. Information is not yet available to make any reliable estimates of the costs and cost effectiveness of any national scheme using fluoridated milk to tackle oral health inequalities.
	The cost of fluoridating water varies depending on the scale of schemes. Experience from current schemes indicates running costs, which are borne by health authorities, of about 40 pence per head of population per year.

Food Poisoning

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work his Department is undertaking to develop a vaccine against campylobacter.

Melanie Johnson: The Department of Health is not commissioning studies at present on vaccines against campylobacter. However, we know that the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is funding some research on campylobacter to understand more about this organism.

Free Fruit Scheme

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement about the operation of the free fruit scheme in schools;
	(2)  what plans he has to extend the free fruit scheme for schools in the North East of England.

Melanie Johnson: Following successful small-scale pilots in 2000 and 2001, the national school fruit scheme has been introduced over the last 18 months in four whole regions in England: the West Midlands, London, the North West and the East Midlands. The next region due to join will be the North East, starting in spring 2004. These region-wide pilots, which have been supported by £42 million from the lottery-funded New Opportunities Fund, will be evaluated to establish the impact on children's diets and the practicalities of the scheme, before rolling out nationally later in 2004.

General Social Care Council

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much central Government funding is given to the General Social Care Council; and how many staff it employs.

Stephen Ladyman: The General Social Care Council (GSCC) will receive £15,195,000 in operating grant for the financial year 2003–04. The GSCC currently employs 119 members of staff: 113 full-time and six part-time.
	The total grant is £55,482,000, which also includes training support of £10,697,000 and student bursaries of £27,826,000. The last two amounts are Department monies, which are administered by the GSCC, ring-fenced for their specified use and do not form any part of their operational costs.

GP Referrals

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of GP referrals which were lost in the NHS system in the last year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Grants

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the grants made to outside bodies under the Section 64 general grants scheme; and the value of each grant.

Stephen Ladyman: The information about the grants approved for award in April 2003 for the year 2003–04 under the Section 64 General Scheme has been placed in the Library.
	The total amount was £21,451,211.
	Core grants are awarded as a contribution to an organisation's central administrative costs. "New" core grants are awards to organisations that have not had core funding previously, or after a break of not less than one year. "Renewal" core grants are awards to those organisations that have previously received core funding.
	Voluntary and community sector organisations have a range of expertise and knowledge of issues in their particular fields, which enables them to make a unique contribution to the development and delivery of services to NHS patients and their carers.

Group B Streptococcus

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research his Department has conducted into group B streptococcus testing during pregnancy;
	(2)  what advice his Department has given to health care professionals on Group B streptococcus testing during pregnancy;
	(3)  if he will make it his policy to provide Group B streptococcus testing on the NHS near the end of pregnancy; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) makes recommendations to Ministers on all aspects of screening programmes. There is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that routine screening of all pregnant women in the United Kingdom and the treating of those carrying group B streptococcus with intravenous antibiotics during labour would be beneficial. The NSC has commissioned a further assessment of the existing evidence on screening against the criteria used to assess potential screening programmes. At the adjournment debate on this issue on 9 July 2003, Ministers asked the NSC to review the position thoroughly as quickly as possible and to consider recommendations at its meeting in December 2003.
	The health technology assessment (HTA) programme considers research into screening for group B streptococcus to be a high priority for further research, add it will consider commissioning further research in more detail at its December meeting. The HTA programme is also currently considering detailed proposals for research into the effectiveness of a rapid test for group B streptococcus carriage that could be used during labour.
	The Royal College of Obstetricians (RCOG) is producing clinical guidelines on prevention and treatment of early onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease. The Department has commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to produce guidelines, due in October 2003, on routine ante-natal care. These will both make an important contribution to ensuring that healthcare professionals are better informed about this condition.

Harefield Hospital

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the last survey was conducted on staff attitudes at Harefield Hospital to the proposed move to Paddington Heath Campus; and if he will publish the results.

John Hutton: Staff retention and recruitment is a major priority in the planning process for the Paddington Health Campus. The most recent Harefield staff survey was conducted by the Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Trust in February 2003. This is a trust document and a copy is available from them on request.

Hospital Financing

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 10 June 2003, Official Report, column 835W, on hospital financing, what additional powers foundation trusts will have to enter into joint venture arrangements compared to (a) other NHS organisations and (b) local authorities' social services departments; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for differences.

John Hutton: Subject to legislation, a national health service foundation trust will be able to enter into joint arrangements with local authorities social services departments where such arrangements are consistent with its primary purpose and terms of authorisation. This will allow for the organisation concerned to determine locally what the arrangements should be and is consistent with the Government's policy of decentralisation.
	Under current arrangements, NHS trusts can only enter into joint arrangements with private bodies in circumstances specified in directions given by the Secretary of State, and with his consent. While NHS foundation trusts are not subject to directions given by the Secretary of State, and do not require his consent before entering into joint ventures (including the setting up of companies), they have no greater powers to do so than current NHS trusts.

Inpatients (Length of Stay)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of stay of in-patients admitted as (a) emergencies and (b) elective was in each of the last five years broken down by age.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Admissions
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
			 Age group Elective Emergency Elective Emergency Elective Emergency Elective Emergency Elective Emergency 
		
		
			 0–4 5.8 2.2 7.9 2.1 5.5 2.1 5.8 2.0 7.9 1.9 
			 5–14 13.5 2.6 12.7 2.4 7.8 2.3 5.6 2.4 11.0 2.1 
			 15–44 8.5 6.3 7.2 6.5 6.4 6.1 6.4 6.6 6.2 6.0 
			 45–64 7.1 10.6 6.4 9.7 5.5 8.8 5.6 10.3 5.7 9.4 
			 65–74 8.4 12.9 7.2 12.3 7.2 11.4 7.4 12.2 7.1 11.9 
			 75–84 10.9 15.7 10.1 15.5 9.7 14.8 10.1 15.1 9.7 15.6 
			 85+ 12.4 17.2 13.1 17.9 12.3 17.6 13.3 18.2 13.3 18.6 
			 Not known 17.4 28.4 18.5 11.6 16.8 4.9 3.7 8.2 6.8 7.2 
			 All ages 8.9 9.9 8.0 9.7 7.1 9.2 7.1 9.9 7.3 9.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	Grossing—figures have not (yet) been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the date are ungrossed).
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Lung Disease

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are for a national service framework on lung disease; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: There are no plans for a national service framework (NSF). We are, however, taking steps to improve services for people with lung disease. The children's NSF will include childhood asthma as an exemplar condition. The NSF for chronic heart disease already has a reduction in cigarette smoking as one of its major targets. We have also banned tobacco advertising and made smoking reduction aids available on national health service prescription.
	Additionally we have asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to prepare guidelines for the management and diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We expect this guidance to be produced in 2004. Also, phase three of the national primary care collaborative (NPCC) focuses on chronic disease management, in particular COPD and diabetic care. The programme, which will be rolled out to every primary care trust (PCT) in the country by April 2004, will support frontline NHS staff and primary care trust managers and will involve 20 PCTs and more than 100 general practitioner practices. It will help them to develop skills and techniques to deliver improvements in care and work with patients to maximise their self-care and help improve outcomes.

Medicine and Management

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what actions he is taking following the report of the joint clinician/manager working group entitled Medicine and Management.

John Hutton: The Chief Medical Officer is taking forward this important area of work, working closely with patients' organisations and those responsible for standards in the medical profession.
	It is expected this work will be completed in early 2004.

Methotrexate

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the (a) availability and (b) side effects of methotrexate.

Melanie Johnson: Methotrexate is a prescription only medicine widely available throughout the United Kingdom. The use of this disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) has increased in recent years. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of methotrexate and other DMARDs as first line therapy prior to the use of the newer tumour necrosis factor (TNF-a) blockers for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
	As with all medicines the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) have continued to closely monitor the safe use of methotrexate. Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to medicines are collected by the MHRA and the CSM through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. To date the MHRA/CSM have received 876 UK ADR reports associated with methotrexate. The most common side effects of methotrexate include nausea, abdominal pain, a reduced number of white blood cells and soreness of the mouth and lips. Other rare but more serious side effects include fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver, bone marrow suppression and pneumonitis.
	In 1997 the product information was amended to advise that patients who receive methotrexate therapy are required to have a full blood count and renal and liver function tests measured on a regular basis. An article was also published in the MHRA/CSM drug safety bulletin "Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance (Vol. 23, September 1997).
	In September 2000 health professionals were advised, via another article in "Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance" (Vol. 26 September 2000), to exercise caution when prescribing and dispensing methotrexate. In 2001 the CSM established a working group to review medicines labelling in order to reduce the likelihood of medication error occurring and within the review advised that all oral dose preparations should prominently display a warning to check the dose and frequency of methotrexate on the front face of the carton.
	In September 2002 the CSM reviewed the increasing number of UK reports of pneumonitis which had been received by the MHRA in association with methotrexate. The CSM recommended updating the product information to provide clearer guidance to prescribers and patients, recognising that the increase was probably a direct consequence of the recent dramatic increase in methotrexate use in patients with early RA. The MHRA is continuing to work closely with the National Patient Safety Agency to reduce the risk of medication errors associated with methotrexate.

Midwifery (Essex)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is he taking to fill vacancies for midwives in the area of the Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Essex Rivers Healthcare National Health Service Trust has embarked on a recruitment campaign to obtain more midwives and expects to appoint five whole time equivalent midwives in the near future.
	A range of recruitment, retention and returner initiatives are in place to facilitate the NHS meeting the increase of 2,000 midwives by 2006. The NHS is striving to be an employer of choice and is in the process of developing and implementing modern recruitment practices. We are committed to increasing the numbers of midwives working in the NHS in order to expand service provision.

Midwifery (Essex)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for midwives in the (a) Essex strategic health authority area and (b) Essex Rivers healthcare trust.

Stephen Ladyman: The total number of vacancies for midwives is not recorded centrally. However, the number of three month vacancies for registered midwives in the Essex strategic health authority area, as at 31 March 2003, is 16. Of these, three were within Essex Rivers healthcare national health service trust.

MRI Scans

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are eligible through the Berkshire Choice pilot for MRI scans.

John Hutton: The Berkshire Choice Pilot in its first phase focused on patients waiting longer than six months including access to mirror resonance imaging (MRI) scans at the Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospital. Last year an additional 40 orthopaedic patients received MRI scans.
	This year, the average waiting time for MRI scans is no more than four to six weeks with no patients waiting more than six months. Due to the reduction in waiting times, no patients are currently eligible through the Berkshire Choice Pilot for MRI scans.

NHS Appointments Commission

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current appointment criteria used by the NHS Appointments Commission are for appointment to the positions of NHS trust (a) chairman, (b) chief executive and (c) board member; and whether these criteria have changed in the last two years.

Rosie Winterton: The criteria for the appointment of chairs and non-executive directors to national health service boards have been placed in the Library. The only change made to the criteria over the last two years has been to reduce the time commitment expected of non-executives to 2.5 days per month. The reduction is in line with recommendations made in 'Governing the NHS—A guide for NHS Boards', which was jointly published by the Department and the NHS Appointments Commission in June 2003. A copy of the guide has also been placed in the Library.
	Chief executives are appointed by the chair and non-executives of NHS boards, not by the NHS Appointments Commission.

NHS Land (Colchester)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last discussed with the Secretary of State for Transport the proposed junction of the Colchester Northern Approach Road and the A12 and the sale of surplus NHS land in the area; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: My right hon. Friend has had no discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on these specific issues.

NHSnet

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he proposes to link pharmacies to NHSnet.

Rosie Winterton: The current contract for NHSnet is due to expire next year. It would be inappropriate to negotiate any amendment to this at the present time to enable community pharmacies to gain connectivity. The model of connectivity needs to take into account future requirements that may arise out of our wish to see community pharmacists as a more integrated part of the national health service, services that they may provide under the new community pharmacy contract currently under discussion and delivery of the national prescription service target outlined in "Delivering 21st Century IT Support for the NHS". The N3 networking project, which is responsible for procuring a successor network to NHSnet, is currently considering which N3 services could help meet these community pharmacy connectivity requirements.

Paddington Health Campus

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what stage of the statutory planning process the Paddington Health Campus is at.

John Hutton: The North West London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has been working closely with Westminster Council on the scheme. The council gave approval to earlier planning proposals, but more detailed work showed that these would need adapting to meet the new and larger requirements. The SHA has been working on a revised scheme with the Westminster planners and anticipates making a new outline application in the next few weeks.

Prescription Receipts

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of receipts from prescriptions paid for by recipients of incapacity benefit in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: No information is collected on the financial circumstances of people paying prescription charges. Therefore, no such estimate can be made.

Prisoners' Health

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what information is collected centrally on the health of prisoners;
	(2)  if he will set targets to achieve improvements in the health of prisoners;
	(3)  if he will make it his policy to collate centrally information regarding prisoner health sufficient to establish baselines from which improvements in performance can be measured.

Stephen Ladyman: Information is routinely collected centrally on self-harm incidents, suicides and undetermined deaths and information on communicable diseases, such as hepatitis B, in the prison population. Survey work periodically captures further information on specific aspects of prisoner health, such as the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity.
	Prisoners are included within the scope of the Government's overall targets for improving the health of the population.

Private Health Care (NHS Referrals)

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients have been referred by the NHS in England to private healthcare providers (a) in Wales, (b) in Scotland, (c) in Northern Ireland, (d) in England and (e) abroad in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much money has been spent by the NHS in England to obtain healthcare from private healthcare providers (a) in England, (b) in Wales, (c) in Scotland, (d) in Northern Ireland and (e) abroad in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

John Hutton: This information is not held centrally, but we are embarking on a major capacity expansion programme including development of treatment centres run by the independent sector.

Private Health Care (NHS Referrals)

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria is used by the NHS in England to decide when to refer a patient to a private healthcare provider for treatment.

John Hutton: The Department has not set any criteria centrally to be used when referring national health service patients for treatment to private healthcare providers. Such decisions are taken locally by primary care trusts (PCTs). In such circumstances, the criteria applied by PCTs and under centrally funded choice pilots would usually include the length of time patients have waited, their clinical appropriateness and fitness for referral to an independent provider and value for money (taking into account the availability of alternative capacity). These criteria would also apply to referrals to the new independent sector treatment centres which we are procuring currently but in addition, these will be supplemented by clear clinical pathways, building on those developed as part of the London patient choice project.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (Finances)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the forecast overspend for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital is for financial year 2003–04.

Stephen Ladyman: The Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals National Health Service Trust merged with the Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust on 1 October 2003. The newly formed Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is expected to fulfil its financial obligations.
	All NHS trusts have been asked to plan for and achieve financial balance in 2003–04. Audited information for all NHS trusts will be published in their individual annual accounts and will be available centrally in autumn 2004.

Silverlands (Chertsey)

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of converting Silverlands in Chertsey for use as a nurses' home.

John Hutton: Discussions are taking place with housing associations for the conversion of Silverlands in Chertsey for use as residential accommodation for nurses and other national health service key-workers employed in the area. It is not anticipated that there will be any cost to the NHS for this conversion, as this will be borne by the housing association.

Single Sex Accommodation

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to publish the names of NHS trusts which have not met government standards for (a) single sex accommodation and (b) separate lavatory and washing facilities; and whether West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust has reached these standards.

John Hutton: The elimination of mixed sex accommodation is one of a number of indicators that determined the performance rating for national health service trusts in 2002–03. Details of the performance ratings, including figures for each NHS trust, are published by the Commission for Health Improvement.
	West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust is fully compliant with single-sex accommodation objectives. A small number of hospitals have yet to achieve these objectives on every ward. This is because a number of new hospitals and healthcare facilities are currently in construction, which will on completion bring all wards to the required standards.

Smoking

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new smokers there were (a) under and (b) over 21 in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: The information is not available in the form requested.
	In 2001, the General Household Survey's analysis of regular smokers found that 85 per cent. of men and 79 per cent. of women began smoking regularly when aged 19 or less. 15 per cent. of men and 21 per cent. of women began regular smoking aged 20 or more.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to increase smoking cessation services to Asian men.

Melanie Johnson: As announced in the NHS Cancer Plan the Department is funding a network of local alliances for action on smoking. These alliances form the bridge between treatment services and local authorities, community groups, businesses, schools, churches etc. and will work with the most deprived sections of their communities to make a difference.
	Some local alliances, with Asian communities in their areas, are working to raise the awareness of the risk of smoking for example producing materials in ethnic languages, holding events in community centres and encouraging people to use their local cessation services.
	NHS stop smoking services are now well established across England, and are achieving good results. At a local level the services target their local ethnic minority populations. The services are available to help all smokers who want to stop. The services provide counselling and support to smokers in a variety of settings in primary or secondary care, and in the community, to complement the provision of smoking cessation aids such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and bupropion (Zyban).

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to introduce legislation to ban smoking in sporting venues.

Melanie Johnson: We will continue to encourage the voluntary establishment of smoke-free public places, including sporting venues.

Social Services (Elderly People)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on provision of social services to the elderly.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government are committed to improving access to health and social care services for older people. Examples include: enhanced cataract services; free national health service sight tests; free influenza immunisation; immediate access to information and advice through NHS Direct; the national service framework (NSF) for older people; and guidance on eligibility for adult social care—"Fair Access to Care Services". The then Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) confirmed the Government's commitment to improving health and social care for older people in a statement to the House on 23 July 2002. He announced an overall figure of £1 billion for older people by 2006. Two thirds of the £1 billion will be ring-fenced for specific older people's services.
	The Government are committed to local health and social care services planning and working more closely together in respect of older people's services. It is important for agencies to be clear in their respective responsibilities. Regulations that permit health and social care services to pool resources or otherwise jointly commission or provide services, will help localities deliver integrated care.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that standards of health and social services are as high as possible, and variations in levels and quality of service throughout the country are minimised. The NSF for older people and the introduction of national minimum standards for specific services are key policy developments in this regard.
	The Government have introduced an independent and more consistent system for the inspection and regulation of residential care and nursing homes, and for the regulation of domiciliary care agencies. The National Care Standards Commission became fully operational on 1 April 2002.
	The Government emphasise that health and social care services should be shaped around an individual's needs and not the other way round. Guidance on the single assessment process, published in January 2002, will place older people at the heart of the assessment of their needs and subsequent service planning and delivery.
	Unfair age discrimination in health and social care is not to be tolerated and will be addressed by the age-related policy audits introduced in the NSF for older people and "Fair Access to Care Services".
	The Government want health and social care services to be more responsive to the needs of older people from minority ethnic backgrounds. In social care, the project, "Developing services for minority ethnic older people", is demonstrating how services can be improved.
	The Government recognise that health and social care needs are often best understood and addressed in the context of other needs such as those for housing, lifelong learning and adequate income. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of Health published a strategic framework, "Quality and Choice for Older People's Housing", in 2001.
	The Government are committed to preventing and tackling abuse of older people in any form. Multi-agency codes of practice are now required from health and social care services. Additionally the Department of Health will establish a Protection of Vulnerable Adults list, which will comprise of a list of people judged unsuitable to work with vulnerable adults in the care sector.

Specialist Stroke Units

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage he estimates of the specialist stroke units in operation by April 2004 will be fully operational and staffed.

Stephen Ladyman: We monitor progress against the key milestones in the national service framework (NSF) for older people. From the information gathered so far, we know that 83 per cent. of the hospitals which have replied now have plans to have a specialist stroke service in place by April 2004.
	Our document, "Improvement, Expansion and Reform", which sets for the national health service a priorities and planning framework for 2003–06, makes clear that implementation of the NSF is a top priority and that the 2004 milestone around specialist stroke services is a key target. Tuesday 14 October 2003

PRIME MINISTER

International Treaties

Richard Shepherd: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the statement of 16 September by the Foreign Secretary, Official Report, column 794, when it became Government policy that international treaties take primacy over national laws; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: It is an established principle of international law that a State may not plead its national law to escape its international law obligations, including its treaty obligations. As a matter of UK constitutional law, international treaties have effect in UK national law to the extent that they have been implemented in national law. The UK has given effect to the principle of the primacy of Community law through the European Communities Act 1972.

Iraq

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his practice to circulate to all Cabinet members papers relating to Iraq.

Tony Blair: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose details of the circulation of Cabinet papers in line with exemption 2 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

IT Contracts

Howard Flight: To ask the Prime Minister how many outsourced IT contracts have been signed by his Department in each year since 1997; how much each of these contracts is worth; with whom they are signed; how many have been renegotiated; how many are still in place; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office gave him on 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 998–99W.

CABINET OFFICE

Executive Agencies

Anthony Steen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many executive agencies have been established since 1997.

Douglas Alexander: Thirty-nine executive agencies have been established since 1997.
	Further information on existing agencies and former agencies can be found on the website http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/agencies-publicbodies under 'Executive Agencies and Non Ministerial Departments'.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

India-United Kingdom

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on bilateral diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and India.

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the bilateral India-United Kingdom relationship.

Mike O'Brien: Our relations with the Indian Government are now closer than they have been for a long time across a broad range of policy areas. UK development assistance will increase over the next two years (to £300 million). And there has been a marked increase in bilateral trade (£5 billion in 2001).

Libya

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Libya.

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on future UK-Libya relations.

Bill Rammell: The United Kingdom has had full diplomatic relations with Libya since July 1999 and we continue to engage with the Libyans on areas of mutual interest and concern.

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further measures he will take against the military Government in Burma to seek to compel them to release the NLD leadership and to take steps towards democracy.

Mike O'Brien: We are working closely with our EU and Asian partners and in the UN to bring pressure to bear on the regime for political change in Burma. We are considering carefully with our EU partners what further targeted measures could be taken if the Burmese regime does not fully release the NLD leadership and take genuine steps towards democracy.

Iraq

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress in the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Denis MacShane: David Kay, the senior CIA officer in the Iraq Survey Group presented an interim report on the activities of the group to a number of Congressional committees on 2 October. According to his report the ISG has produced further conclusive and incontrovertible evidence that the Saddam regime was indeed in breach of UNSCR 1441.
	The ISG has discovered "dozens of WMD-related programme activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations during the inspections that began in late 2002".

Iraq

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress with reconstruction in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: Good progress is being made with meeting immediate reconstruction needs in Iraq. Electricity generation has returned to pre-war levels, and oil production has recovered to 2 million barrels per day. The key economic institutions are being rebuilt, including the Central bank of Iraq which now has independence over key decisions. A budget has been agreed for 2003, Iraqi Ministries are planning their budgets for 2004, new bank notes are being distributed to replace the discredited Saddam Dinar, and a legal framework for commercial activity is being created. Iraq's longer-term reconstruction needs, arising from decades of misrule under Saddam, will be addressed at the international donors' conference in Madrid on 23–24 October.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to his Department over possible Turkish military deployment in Iraq; who raised these concerns; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and FCO and MOD officials have discussed a possible Turkish military deployment to Iraq with representatives of the Turkish Government and with the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC).
	We welcome the generous offer of Turkish troops, and the vote in the Turkish Parliament to approve this in principle. The practicalities of the potential deployment are a matter for the US and the Turkish Governments, taking into full consideration local sensitivities, including those raised by the IGC.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had concerning the possibility of Turkish military deployment in Iraq; where these discussions took place; who initiated these discussions; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UK has a regular dialogue with the Turkish Government on matters relating to Iraq, including a possible military deployment. On 25 September, Turkish Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul gave my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary an update on the situation. The Chief of Defence Staff and my right hon. Friend the Minister for the armed forces also discussed this issue, among others, during their recent visits to Turkey.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many women have been appointed to the preparatory committee working on the drafting of the new Iraqi constitution.

Bill Rammell: We were disappointed that no women were appointed to the preparatory constitutional committee. In our discussions with the Governing Council and other Iraqi institutions we continue to stress the importance of women's issues being fully addressed in constitutional discussions to ensure that women are able to play a full role in public life. We are in regular contact with Songul Omar and Dr. Raja Habib Khurzai on the Governing Council and Nesreen Mustafa Sidiq Berwari, the Minister for Public Works.
	My noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean met one of the women on the Governing Council, and the one woman Minister, during her recent visit to Baghdad.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many senior advisers from western countries have been appointed to work with Iraqi Ministers; and how many are women.

Bill Rammell: At present there are 21 senior advisers from western countries that provide help to all 25 Iraqi Ministries. Three are women who work with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Displaced Persons, Trade, and Human Rights.

European Constitution

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) EU member states and (b) applicant states plan to hold a referendum on the proposed European constitution; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: A new EU treaty would need to be ratified according to the individual political and constitutional traditions of each of the member states. Current and future member states would be in exactly the same position: all 25 would have to ratify before a new treaty could come into effect. Four member states have formally declared that they will hold a referendum on the outcome of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC): Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg and Spain. Most countries have yet to make a decision. In the UK, EU treaties are only ratified after scrutiny and approval by Parliament, as has been the case with all previous treaties modifying the founding treaties of the EU.

Israel

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning military action outside their borders.

Bill Rammell: The Prime Minister's foreign policy adviser expressed the Government's concern to the Government of Israel about military actions, including in Syria, during his recent visit to the region. We recognise Israel's justified anger at suicide bombings, the latest one killing 19 in Haifa on 4 October. We urge all sides to exercise restraint. It is imperative that they recognise the implications for regional stability of the continuing use of force, and that only a political solution can deliver a comprehensive, lasting peace in the Middle East.

Zimbabwe

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Zimbabwe.

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

Chris Mullin: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton), Official Report, column 20.

Afghanistan

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to help ensure that the Afghanistan elections in June 2004 are free and fair.

Mike O'Brien: We welcome the establishment on 26 July of the Afghan Interim Management Body. We are encouraging the Transitional Administration to ensure the necessary preparations are made for free and fair elections, including a law on political parties to encourage the formation of national political groupings which renounce violence and espouse democratic principles.
	£1 million of DFID funds and a further £2 million of joint FCO/DFID/MOD funding has been allocated so far to support the United Nations programme for voter registration in Afghanistan. We are also working with the European Commission to secure further support for Afghanistan's electoral process.

British Aerospace

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether British Aerospace sought or obtained clearance from his Department for payment of agency commission in connection with the sale of defence equipment to Qatar.

Bill Rammell: I am not aware that British Aerospace has ever sought or obtained clearance from the FCO for payment of agency commission in connection with the sale of defence equipment to Qatar.

Indian High Commission Visa Service

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the Indian High Commission's visa services in the UK.

Mike O'Brien: I am advised that officials have no record of representations concerning the Indian High Commission visa service in the UK.

International Covenant on Economic, Social andCultural Rights

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of the US Administration concerning the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Mike O'Brien: Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, nor officials have had recent discussions with the US Administration specifically about the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does, however, have regular contact with the US Administration on human rights issues, including economic and social rights. Our discussions at official level in the margins of the UN General Assembly Third Committee and the annual Commission on Human Rights in Geneva include a range of discussions on economic and social rights.

Pitcairn Island

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements there are for hearing Pitcairn Island criminal cases in New Zealand.

Bill Rammell: On the advice of the Pitcairn Chief Justice, the Governor of Pitcairn signed an order on 28 March granting authority for criminal legal proceedings to take place in New Zealand. Necessary legislation has been passed by the New Zealand Parliament to enable such trials to be held in New Zealand under Pitcairn law. A final decision on the venue for trials in individual cases is however a matter for the Pitcairn Supreme courts.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bosnia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) casualties and (b) injuries in Bosnia were directly attributable to (i) mines, (ii) de-mining activities and (iii) cluster bomb submunition in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: According to "Landmine Monitor" the casualties recorded in the following table were landmine/UXO casualties in Bosnia and Herzegovina. DFID does not have figures for victims of cluster munitions nor can we disaggregate mine victims from victims of demining accidents.
	
		
			  Number of casualties 
		
		
			 1997 290 
			 1998 149 
			 1999 95 
			 2000 100 
			 2001 87 
			 1 January 2002 to 30 June 2003 72 
		
	
	Source:
	International Committee of the Red Cross

Cancun Conference

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Ministers attended the World Trade Organisation meetings in Cancun; how many (a) advisers and (b) staff accompanied them; at which hotel Ministers and their advisers stayed in Cancun; what the total cost of (i) hotel rooms and (ii) expenses was; in which aeroplane class advisers attending the World Trade Organisation meetings in Cancun travelled; and what the total cost of their flights was.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	In addition to myself, my right hon. Friends, the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and my noble Friend, the Secretary of State for the International Development attended the 5th WTO Ministerial Conference held in Cancun in September 2003. The length of stays varied.
	We were accompanied by 32 civil servants from the five Government Departments involved and by five advisers from the CBI, the TUC, NGO's and Parliament. Other Members of Parliament attended and assisted with advice.
	Ministers and part of the delegation stayed in the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Hotel, where the EU delegation and others were based. The remainder stayed at the Hotel Riu.
	The majority of civil servants travelled via a European Commission charter flight, for which special discount fares were negotiated. Ministers were accompanied on their flights by a small team of support staff, some of whom travelled in the same class as Ministers.
	Final accounts for the WTO ministerial are not currently available, and could be produced only at disproportionate cost at this stage. Once the costs have been finalised, we will inform the House.

Darfur

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment the Department has made of human rights abuses in Darfur; what recent assessment has been made of their effect on the human rights situation in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: We are concerned about the human rights of the people of Sudan, including in Darfur. We continue to raise specific human rights cases in Darfur relating to the rights of minors and women and the application of the death penalty with the Government of Sudan as part of the EU/Sudan dialogue. In July, a member of the British embassy in Khartoum visited Nyala, South Darfur, and held meetings with the Wali, the South Darfur Security Committee, the Chief Judge, the Commissioner of Nyala, and Fur Tribal leaders. He also toured the prison. We are also supporting human rights monitoring and human rights awareness projects in Darfur through the Human Rights Project Fund.
	The Secretary of State welcomed the signing on 3 September of a 45-day ceasefire between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Army and the launch of the UN Greater Darfur Initiative (UNDGI) which we hope will enable the provision of basic services and help to address basic human rights. The UK has pledged £1 million to UNDGI.

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for UK entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for UK entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency.

Hilary Benn: Approximately £55,000 will have been spent this year on consultancy costs. These are the only separately identifiable costs incurred since 1999. Other costs comprise modest internal staff time and ensuring that IT system developments are euro compatible; these cannot be separately identified but are likely to have been modest. The costs of conversion in the event of a positive decision on UK entry are estimated at around £500,000.

Foreign Aid

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Government intends to use the funds allocated for trade-related capacity building and technical assistance; over what period it will be spent; what support the Government will give to the G21 nations; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The UK trade related capacity building programme works closely with developing countries, including those in the emerging G21 grouping, to build the skills and knowledge they require to deal with trade issues as they relate to their country's specific needs. The programme will continue to be responsive to emerging developing country concerns. These include the effects of trade-distorting subsidies on West African cotton producers and technical assistance to poorer developing countries on a range of trade-related issues.
	The UK programme is delivered through a mixture of bilateral programmes with national governments; contributions to multilateral organisations working on Trade-Related Capacity Building; support to governments and to the private sector. The programme is a rolling one with new initiatives agreed as earlier programmes end. Most of the £160 million allocated to Trade-Related Capacity Building since 1998 will be spent over the next five years, although one programme will not finish until 2010.
	The UK TRCB programme includes:
	training government officials to analyse trade issues, develop trade policy and negotiate internationally. This can also involve improving systems linked to trade, such as customs and excise;
	helping governments and the private sector respond to opportunities arising from the multilateral trading system as well as cope with possible negative knock on effects;
	making sure that trade policy takes into account the impact of trade on the lives of poor people;
	support to regional trade groups as they work to increase regional trade opportunities;
	funding to organisations in Geneva offering legal, analytical and networking support, particularly to those developing countries without representation in Geneva.

Foreign Aid

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Department is contributing (a) directly, (b) through the EU, (c) through the UN and (d) through other organisations to the Chiapas region of Mexico.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department has no bilateral programme to Mexico, nor are we contributing anything currently to the Chiapas region through the UN or other organisations. The EC are planning future support to the Chiapas region with a Euro15 million poverty reduction programme, the UK share being 19.7 per cent.

HIV/AIDS Programme

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what the aims of the Regional HIV/AIDS Programme of the Southern African Development Co-ordinating Committee are; how much funding has been provided to it by the Department in 2003; what assessment has been made of the Programme since 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: In 2000, DFID committed £7.65 million to support the Southern African Development Community's work on HIV/AIDS particularly in Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. DFID provided about £1.5 million from this commitment before March 2003, and expects to contribute a further £1.25 million during 2003–04. The programme was reviewed in late 2002, and is now focused on promoting management of sexually transmitted infections especially at cross-border sites; strengthening programmes for social marketing of condoms; promoting behaviour change; and increasing capacity of national AIDS programmes.

International Housing Rights

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had since January with representatives of the US Administration concerning international housing rights law; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: I have not had any discussions with representatives of the US Administration, concerning international housing rights law, since I rejoined the Department for International Development as Minister of State in May 2003, nor do I currently have any plans to do so. DFID also has no record of contacts, with representatives of the US Administration, concerning international housing rights law.

Liberian Refugees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the Department (a) has pledged and (b) is providing to Liberian refugees in Guinea; what programmes this assistance is going to; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: We contribute £14 million per year to UNHCR although we are not directly supporting refugees from Liberia in Guinea.

Liberian Refugees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment the Department has made of (a) the number, and (b) the impact of refugees from Liberia entering Guinea since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Refugees from Liberia have been entering Guinea for many years, fleeing hostilities and hardship. UNHCR report a new influx since 13 September of 4,500 arrivals into south-east Guinea. This brings the total number of Liberian refugees in Guinea to 116,000 refugees. The most recent refugees are temporarily housed in clinics and public buildings at the border, but UNHCR is transferring them away from the border to established refugee camps where they receive all basic services. So far, 1,500 have been transferred.
	The total number of refugees in Guinea is significantly reduced from 390,000 at the end of 2000 to 180,000 at the end of 2002 as a result of the improved security situation in Sierra Leone. UNHCR are managing to respond to the needs of the new Liberian refugees although the situation will be closely monitored.

Reproductive Health

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the aims of the sexual and maternal health programme in Malawi are; how much funding has been provided to it by the Department in 2003; what assessment has been made of the programme since 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The aim of reproductive health programmes in Malawi is to improve sexual and reproductive health for all men, women and children especially among the poor and vulnerable groups; and to reduce death and chronic ill health of women as a result of childbirth. DFID's total financial commitment to reproductive health in Malawi is £59.7 million for programmes that are currently being implemented. Of this, £6.7 million was spent in fiscal year 2002–03 and another £5.3 million in the first five months of the current fiscal year.
	The Malawi Ministry of Health and Population conducted a joint review in November 2002 with DFID and other development partners of the programmes that they support. The review reported some progress in all activities, but also noted that there were factors beyond the control of the programmes that inhibited progress. These included critical shortage of health personnel, under-resourced working environment, and the rising impact of HIV/AIDS. The international financial institutions and donors including DFID are working with the Malawi Government to address the underlying issues, such as wage policy and macro economic management, that cause the problems affecting the health sector.

Reproductive Health

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money the Department gave in support of the Russian Family Planning Association in 2003; what percentage that represents of the total expenditure for population reproductive health programmes; if he will list the activities of the Russian Family Planning Association in 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has given no money in support of the Russian Family Planning Association (RFPA) in 2003; its last project with the RFPA finished in June 2002 and no further assistance is planned. This therefore represents 0 per cent. of total expenditure for population reproductive health services. The RFPA supports a range of activities on advocacy for reproductive health and rights, including training for health personnel, social workers and teachers and the provision of information and education, particularly for young people, through the development of its network of regional branches.

Reproductive Health

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what population reproductive health programmes are directly run by the Department in (a) Africa, (b) South and Central America, (c) the Middle East, (d) Central and Eastern Europe, (e) Asia and (f) Oceania; what changes have taken place since 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: A list of projects and programmes over £1 million with a policy marker for reproductive health services or HIV/Aids run by DFID's country or regional programmes is at Annex A. Those started after 2002 are shown in italic.
	DFID spent over £270 million on reproductive health and HIV/Aids programmes in financial year 2002–03. We regard reproductive health as an essential and inseparable element of good health. We believe that the best way to deliver this is for people to be given the right, freedom and support necessary to enable them to take full individual and personal control of their own fertility and reproductive health. Reproductive health continues to be a key priority for DFID and we remain firmly committed to the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) target of achieving access to reproductive health for all by 2015.
	
		Annex A
		
			 Project title Recipient 
		
		
			 Social Marketing of contraceptives Ethiopia 
			 Ghana HIV/AIDS programme Ghana 
			 Reproductive Health, Freetown and Newly Accessible Areas Sierra Leone 
			 Life Planning Education Nigeria 
			 Strengthening Nigeria's Response to HIV/AIDs Nigeria 
			 Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health for HIV/AIDs Reduction Nigeria 
			 Partnership for Transforming Health Systems Nigeria 
			 Safe Motherhood Partnership Fund Kenya 
			 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project 1 and II Kenya 
			 Social Marketing of Condoms Kenya 
			 HIV/AIDS Umbrella Programme Uganda 
			 Health Sector Programme Tanzania 
			 Family Planning Services and Supply Phase 2 Tanzania 
			 HIV/AIDS MSF Bridging South Africa, Republic of 
			 Provincial reproductive Health South Africa, Republic of 
			 HIV/Aids Framework Support South Africa, Republic of 
			 Soul City South Africa, Republic of 
			 National Sexual and Reproductive Health South Africa, Republic of 
			 HIV/AIDS and Maternal Health Programme Mozambique 
			 Social Marketing of Condoms (PSI) Mozambique 
			 Zambia HIV/AIDS Programme Zambia 
			 Reproductive Health Support Zambia 
			 Sexual and Reproductive Health—Phase 2 (FA) Zimbabwe 
			 Social Marketing Project Zimbabwe 
			 Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme (SERPS) Malawi 
			 Banja La Mtsogolo—Sexual Health Programme Malawi 
			 Soul City Regional Programme Southern Africa 
			 Regional HIV/AIDS Southern Africa 
			 Regional AIDS Programme Southern Africa 
			 Contraceptives Supply and Logistics Bolivia 
			 Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Central America 
			 Support to the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) for the Prevention and Control of HIV/Aids Caribbean 
			 Comprehensive partnership strategies for HIV/STI Prevention among Young People in the Russian Federation Russian Federation 
			 Knowledge for Action in HIV Russian Federation 
			 Open Health Institute: Harm Reduction Bridging Project Russian Federation 
			 Development of a Public Health-Based Approach to Sexually-Transmitted Diseases in Samara, including HIV Prevention in Togliatti Russian Federation 
			 HIV Prevention among Vulnerable Populations in Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro and Western Balkan Region 
			 UPMRC Women's Health Project West Bank and Gaza 
			 Contraceptive Social Marketing Pakistan 
			 Marie Stopes International: Sindh Reproductive Health Services Project Pakistan 
			 National AIDS Control Programme Phase II: DFID Support India 
			 Reproductive Health Project, Orissa India 
			 Reproductive Health Programme Nepal 
			 West Bengal Reproductive and Child Health Project India 
			 Rights-based response to HIV/AIDS Nepal 
			 Marie Stopes CS Reproductive Health Care Bangladesh 
			 Strategic Investment in HIV/AIDS Prevention Bangladesh 
			 HIV/ AIDS Programme CARE Bangladesh Bangladesh 
			 Preventing HIV/AIDS: Social Marketing of Condoms Vietnam 
			 Strengthening Response to HIV/AIDS Cambodia 
			 Health Sector Support Cambodia 
			 HIV/AIDS Project China 
			 Programme for HIV/AIDS: Myanmar Burma 
			 Social Marketing of Condoms II Cambodia 
			 PSI—HIV and Reproductive Health Burma 
			 Innovations for HIV/AIDS Asia Regional 
			 HIV/AIDS Prevention in Asia Asia Regional

Reproductive Health

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money the Department is giving to the Central American regional programme for improving sexual and reproductive health services; what percentage of the Department's 2003 expenditure for population reproductive health programmes that represents; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID spent £800,000 from its Central America country and regional programmes in UK financial year 2002–03 on improving reproductive health. In addition DFID provides support for reproductive health through contributions to multilateral organisations and to non-governmental organisations, which cannot be broken down in this way.
	DFID spent over £270 million on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programmes in financial year 2002–03. We regard reproductive health as an essential and inseparable element of good health. We believe that the best way to deliver this is for people to be given the right, freedom and support necessary to enable them to take full individual and personal control of their own fertility and reproductive health. Reproductive health continues to be a key priority for DFID and we remain firmly committed to the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) target of achieving access to reproductive health for all by 2015.
	DFID support for reproductive health is wide ranging. It covers HIV/AIDS programmes, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and maternal and adolescent health. Reproductive health also encompasses the services for family planning, contraception and childbearing that make an important contribution to increasing women's choice and opportunity and to preventing unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. Family planning services also provide an important opportunity to improve sexual health and in particular to increase women's access to methods that help prevent HIV infection. DFID's total expenditure for 2002–03 cannot therefore be apportioned between HIV/AIDS and Family Planning, as many reproductive health programmes and projects contribute to both objectives (for example through the provision of information on family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention or the provision of condoms).

Reproductive Health

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the Department has given to the sexually transmitted disease programme in the Russian Federation in 2003; what percentage of the Department's total expenditure for population reproductive health programmes that represents; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has supported four projects related to the control of sexually transmitted diseases in the Russian Federation in financial year 2002–03. A particular priority is the prevention of HIV transmission among vulnerable groups, including injecting drug users and commercial sex workers.
	
		£
		
			 Projects Purpose Project allocation Actual spend in financial year 2002–03 
		
		
			 1. Development of a public health-based approach to sexually transmitted diseases and treatment in Samara including Togliatti To develop sustainable, high-quality STD services in Samara and disseminate successful approaches at federal level; and to reduce HIV transmission and associated risk behaviour among injecting drug users in Togliatti City 1,000,000 115,750 
			 2. Open Health Institute: harm reduction bridging project To reduce the transmission of HIV among injecting drug users and commercial sex workers in the 43 Open Health Institute-supported harm reduction sites in the Russian Federation 4,200,000 1,396,258 
			 3. Knowledge for Action for HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation. To contribute to the knowledge needed to guide effective policy and intervention on HIV prevention in the Russian Federation 1,500,000 228,495 
			 4. Comprehensive partnership strategies for HIV/STI prevention among young people in the Russian Federation To reduce the incidence of HIV/STIs among young people, especially girls and young women, by ensuring the availability of and access to information, education, health services, counselling for HIV testing and commodities required for young people to develop and exercise effective life skills 1,125,000 38,536 
		
	
	The European Commission, through the TACIS programme, is supporting two large-scale projects on HIV/AIDS prevention:
	a) HIV/AIDS Prevention and Combating: the project allocation is Euro 2,500,000;
	b) Preventive Health and Education: the project allocation is Euro 3,000,000.
	DFID contributes approximately 20 per cent. of these project budgets through its funding to the European Commission.
	DFID spent over £270 million on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programmes in financial year 2002–03. Spending on projects related to these issues in the Russian Federation in the same financial year accounted for less than 1 per cent. of the total.
	I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question ref. 131645 for a general statement of DFID's policies on sexual and reproductive health issues.

Reproductive Health

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the aims are of the HIV/AIDS and reproductive health programme in Zambia; how much funding has been provided to it by his Department in 2003; what assessment has been made of the programme since 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS and to giving people a choice in the number of children they have. Our support for HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health is wide ranging, covering HIV/AIDS programmes, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and maternal and adolescent health. Reproductive health also encompasses family planning and contraception services that make an important contribution to increasing women's choice and opportunity, and to preventing unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. DFID has a number of programmes in Zambia, which address these issues.
	The DFID Reproductive Health Support Project aims to increase access to, and use of, condoms and contraceptives, and to secure improvements in the availability of family planning services provided at health centres and hospitals. The Project was approved in 2001 and will provide £2.9 million over three years. We expect to spend £1.579 million in financial year 2003–04. Annual DFID internal assessments of the Reproductive Health Support Project have been made and these, and other external reports and surveys, reveal an encouraging increase in accessing reproductive health facilities and commodities.
	A new DFID/Zambia HIV/AIDS Programme has just been approved (June 2003). It aims to provide an effective national multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS by reducing HIV/STD transmission and the socio-economic impact of the disease. The Programme is supported by many donors. The DFID component of the Programme will provide £20 million over five years. We expect to spend £0.675 million in financial year 2003–04 and £4.265 million in financial year 2004–05.
	In addition to the above, DFID provides general support to the health sector in Zambia under a Sector Wide Approach Project (SWAP), which was approved in 2000, and will provide £20 million over six years. We expect to spend £6.068 million in financial year 2003–04.

Reproductive Health

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what sums were donated to the United Nations Family Planning Agency's Contraceptive Commodity Support programme in 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The UK is providing £18 million core funding to UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) in 2003. This helps to support UNFPA's work to assist developing countries meet reproductive health commodity needs. No new contribution was made by DFID to the UNFPA's Contraceptive Commodity support programme in 2003. Various activities at country level continue to be funded until the end of 2003, utilising the balance from a £25 million one-off contribution to the programme made in January 2001.

Reproductive Health

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the Department has given to (a) the health and sexual education programme in Bolivia, (b) the Orissa Reproductive Health Project in India and (c) the reproductive health programme in Peru in 2003; what percentage each represents of the Department's expenditure for population reproductive health programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The following are the figures for bilateral expenditure by DFID on these programmes in UK financial year 2002–03, the latest year for which figures are available:
	
		
			 Programme £ million 
		
		
			  
			  
			 (a) Bolivia Health and Sexual Education Programme (33)0 
			 (b) Orissa Reproductive Health Project, India 0.6 
			 (c) Peru Reproductive Health Programme 0.1 
		
	
	(33) The programme has been completed.
	In addition, the Department spent £0.69 million on Contraceptives Supply and Logistics in Bolivia, £0.13 million on the Andean Reproductive Health Initiative in Bolivia and Peru in 2002–03, £0.11 million on the Strategic Pilot Project in Sexual and Reproductive Health and £0.21 million on the Bolivia Post Abortion Care Project. These figures do not include any support provided through contributions to multilateral or non-governmental organisations, which are not broken clown on a sectoral basis.
	DFID spent over £270 million on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programmes in financial year 2002–03. We regard reproductive health as an essential and inseparable element of good health. We believe that the best way to deliver this is for people to be given the right, freedom and support necessary to enable them to take full individual and personal control of their own fertility and reproductive health. Reproductive health continues to be a key priority for DFID and we remain firmly committed to the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) target of achieving access to reproductive health for all by 2015.
	DFID support for reproductive health is wide ranging. It covers HIV/AIDS programmes, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and maternal and adolescent health. Reproductive health also encompasses the services for family planning, contraception and childbearing that make an important contribution to increasing women's choice and opportunity and to preventing unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. Family planning services also provide an important opportunity to improve sexual health, and in particular, to increase women's access to methods that help prevent HIV infection. DFID's total expenditure for 2003–03 cannot therefore be apportioned between HIV/AIDS and family planning, as many reproductive health programmes and projects contribute to both objectives (for example, through the provision of information on family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention or the provision of condoms).

Sri Lanka

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how many (a) casualties and (b) injuries were recorded in Sri Lanka due to (i) mines and (ii) de-mining operations in each month since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assistance the Department has provided in each year since 1997 to de-mining operations in Sri Lanka; what de-mining projects in Sri Lanka are directly run by the Department; what assistance the Department has sought from the Ministry of Defence for de-mining operations in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The recorded number of fatalities and injuries caused by land mines in Sri Lanka since 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			  Fatalities Injuries 
		
		
			 1997 12 105 
			 1998 3 70 
			 1999 7 77 
			 2000 18 148 
			 2001 22 179 
			 2002 27 116 
			 2003 11 40 
			 Total 100 735 
		
	
	Since 1997 there has been one recorded casualty resulting from de-mining activities. The significant decrease in injuries and deaths from mines in 2003 is extremely welcome.
	DFID has provided support for de-mining operations since the ceasefire between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka came into effect last year. DFID has a two-year agreement with UNDP until the end of 2004 for support to de-mining operations. Under this, £697,000 from the allocated £2.6 million for quick impact activities in the North and East of Sri Lanka will be used to fund the early part of UNDP's 2003–06 mine action programme. This funding was approved in 2002. Further needs assessments are under way and we stand ready to make further commitments if necessary. DFID does not directly run any de-mining projects in Sri Lanka and has therefore not sought technical advice from the Ministry of Defence. However, DFID liaises closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on our development programme to Sri Lanka.

Tanzania

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will monitor aid given to Tanzania to ensure that the Singida region receives assistance in alleviating famine in that area.

Hilary Benn: DFID has made £60 million available as direct budget support (DBS) to the Government of Tanzania (GoT) in 2003–04 to support its Poverty Reduction Strategy, which includes action on food security. The first tranche of DBS has been released. We have received reports that the GoT has released food from its strategic grain reserve and is starting distribution to drought affected areas on the basis of its vulnerability assessment.

Tanzania

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether a representative of the Department attended a meeting called by the Prime Minister of Tanzania on 14 August to request assistance to alleviate food shortages; and what response the Department has made to his request.

Hilary Benn: The Head of DFID Tanzania and one of her staff attended the meeting called by the Prime Minister of Tanzania on 14 August. The Prime Minister asked the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation to co-ordinate the detailed appeal to donors. WFP is currently finalising the formal appeal for food assistance, which we will consider when we receive it. FAO issued an appeal for assistance for seed and fertilisers on 17 September which we are currently considering.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

EU Chemicals Policy

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the costs of the European Commission's REACH policy to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Alun Michael: In May 2001, the Government prepared a preliminary partial regulatory impact assessment of the proposals in the European Commission's White Paper. A revised partial Assessment will be required when proposals for the European Commission's legislation are available and my Department is working closely with other interested Departments, the Devolved Administrations and concerned stakeholders to develop its scope and content. As set out in the guidance on conducting such an Assessment, consideration of the impacts on small to medium sized businesses will form a key part of this.
	As well as considering the benefits and costs of the proposals, the Assessment will include an analysis of the implications of the proposed legislation for the international competitiveness of the UK chemicals industry and other manufacturing sectors that use chemicals in their processes and products. In addition the Government will consider what further analysis may be needed, particularly for small to medium sized businesses to meet the demands of any new legislation. We have noted the results of other work undertaken for instance by the Commission and the Federation of German Industry (BDI) and this will be taken into account when carrying out our assessment. Getting these aspects right is a key element to achieve the Government's first objective for the new EU chemicals strategy of a fast, efficient and workable process.

Urban Commons

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers are available to local authorities compulsorily to purchase land designated as an urban common under the Law of Property Act 1925 to ensure continued access to and use of the land by the general public for leisure and recreation and the protection of wildlife.

Alun Michael: Powers are available under various enactments that may enable public authorities compulsorily to purchase common land to secure continued public access. Such powers are contained in, for example, section 76 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875 and section 19 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. It is for the local authority concerned to determine which powers might apply in the particular circumstances and, if so, whether it would be appropriate to use them.
	Under the provisions of section 193 of the Law of Property Act 1925, the public already has a statutory right of access for air and exercise to any common which was wholly or partly in a borough or urban district prior to 1 April 1974. Section 194 of this Act enables a county or district council, or any other person with a legal interest in the land, to make an application to the county court for the removal of works unlawfully carried out on common land that prevent or impede access, and the restoration of the land to its previous condition. This might be an alternative to compulsory purchase.

Urban Commons

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department has taken to encourage local councils to fulfil their obligation to clear rights of way.

Alun Michael: Section 63 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 introduced new powers that will enable members of the public to oblige local highway authorities to secure the removal of certain types of obstruction, unless it can show that there are good reasons for not doing so. Defra aims to make regulations implementing these powers later this year. In addition, the introduction of 'Best Value' from 1 April 2000, requires local authorities to seek continuous improvement in the way they carry out their functions. The Best Value performance indicator for rights of way includes a specific measure for ease of use of rights of way.

Air/Light Pollution

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to reduce light pollution; and if she will include light pollution in the proposed indicators of countryside quality.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra considered the control of nuisance caused by lighting in its recent consultation "Living Places: Powers, Rights, Responsibilities". The paper sought opinions as to whether the Government should introduce new regulations for the positioning of external lighting (excluding street lights); and whether the remit of the statutory nuisance regime should be extended to include such lighting. The consultation period closed on 14 February. Copies of the summary report of the responses received have been placed in both Houses, and it is also available at: www. defra.gov.uk/environment/consult/pubspace/index.htm
	The House of Commons' Select Committee on Science and Technology recently held an inquiry into light pollution and astronomy. This focused on the effectiveness of measures taken to reduce the impact of light pollution on astronomy and considered what further steps, if any, are required. The outcome of the inquiry will be published in due course and will be made available on the House of Commons' website.
	The Government will consider their future course of action taking into account any recommendations and conclusions emerging from the Select Committee's inquiry and from Defra's recent consultation exercise. We are currently appraising, in conjunction with the Countryside Agency, the selection of indicators to be monitored as measures of 'countryside quality'. Light pollution is under consideration, but no decision has yet been taken. It is expected that the agreed list of indicators will be published next year.

Air/Light Pollution

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which chemicals are included in the measurement of air pollution.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra measures approximately 180 air pollutants in the national networks, including benzene, 1,3-butadiene, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, PMio particulate matter, PIVb.s particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, black smoke, 26 volatile organic compounds, 17 metals and trace elements (for example, lead, arsenic and chromium), 52 transboundary pollutants (for example, ammonium nitrate and sulphate), 42 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (for example, benzo[a]pyrene), 17 of the most toxic dioxins including tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) and 7 polychlorobiphenyls. The number of sites measuring each pollutant and their sampling frequency varies from just a few sites sampling on a weekly or monthly basis (for example, dioxins) to dozens of sites monitoring continuously (for example, nitrogen dioxide) depending on the characteristics of each pollutant. Monitoring data for each air pollutant can be found on the National Air Quality Information Archive (www.airqualitv.co.uk).

Beef Ban

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what actions the British Government is taking to secure compensation by the French Government for those directly affected by the ban on the import of British beef.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK Government cannot claim compensation as it has no direct commercial interest. Compensation for losses must be sought by those directly affected.
	However, the Government will provide information and practical assistance (although not financial support or detailed legal advice) to those who wish to pursue claims for compensation against the French .

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of arrangements for valuing animals for the purposes of compensating farmers who have bovine TB reactors.

Ben Bradshaw: We intend to consult on proposals to rationalise existing compensation arrangements for all notifiable animal diseases later this year. Our consultation will include proposals to address valuations of animals, particularly higher value pedigree animals.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the financial impact of bovine tuberculosis on (a) farmers and (b) her Department in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is as follows:
	(a) Defra has commissioned the University of Reading to carry out research into the economic impact of bovine tuberculosis. This work covers the cost to industry of TB breakdowns. The final report on the project is expected later this year.
	(b) Expenditure by the Government on the bovine TB programme from 1998–99 to 2002–03 is given in the following table:
	
		Expenditure on TB in Great Britain 1998–99 to 2002–03 -- GB expenditure on TB in £000
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Compensation 3,491 5,303 6,632 9,243 31,146 
			 TB testing 7,247 8,329 8,675 3,571 12,398 
			 Badger culling trial 2,988 4,392 6,630 6,001 6,479 
			 Other research 2,541 4,114 5,266 6,112 6,824 
			 Contracts with Veterinary Laboratories Agency 1,926 2,367 3,467 3,674 4,101 
			 Staff costs 6,691 13,566 5,529 1,883 12,954 
			 Total expenditure 24,883 38,072 36,199 30,485 73,931

Administrative Costs

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the conclusions were of her Department's review of the indicative level of total administrative costs for 2003–04 and beyond.

Margaret Beckett: We have not carried out a specific review of 'total administrative costs'. However my Department reviews its administrative costs on an annual basis as part of its Resource Allocation and Business Planning process. The results of this are reflected in the annual Departmental Report (Cmd 5919).

Committee Meetings

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the dates of meetings of the (a) Implementation Committee for Spirit Drinks, (b) Committee on Agricultural Structures and Rural Development, (c) Standing Forestry Committee, (d) Committee on the Conservation, Characterisation, Collection and Utilisation of Genetic Resources in Agriculture and (e) European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund Committee and Working Party on Irregularities during the (i) Danish and (ii) Greek presidency; what issues were discussed; when the Scottish Executive was informed of each meeting; for what meetings requests for Scottish representation were made; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:
	(a) Spirit Drinks Implementation Committee
	During the Danish presidency the Spirit Drinks Implementation Committee (SDIC) met on 8 and 22 October, and during the Greek presidency they met on 11 March and 28 May. They discussed the proposed amendments to the base Council Regulation 1576/89, mutual recognition of Tequila, enlargement negotiations, bilateral agreements with Switzerland, South Africa and Canada, the definition of 'bierbrand', prescribed quantities, and rum and cachaca. UK representation at SDIC is determined by the agenda and can include members of the Scottish Executive. However, following consultation with devolved administrations during the above presidencies, it was agreed that Defra would represent UK interests. (b) Committee on Agricultural Structures and Rural Development (STAR)
	The dates of the STAR Committee meetings for the Danish and Greek presidencies are listed as follows. A brief outline of the issues discussed and the number of Scottish Executive officials who attended each meeting is also given.
	
		
			 Date of Meeting Issues Discussed Number of Scottish Executive officials attending 
		
		
			 24 July Discussions on the rural development simplification exercise, and link with CAP MTR, Information Society and rural development, and SAPARD 1 
			 4 September Modifications to regional rural development programmes (RDPs) for Germany, Portugal and Finland. — 
			 25 September Discussions on amendments to Italian and Swedish RDPs, SAPARD annual report, simplification, LFA data and EAGGF expenditure. 2 
			 23 October Discussion and approval of modifications of German and Belgian RDP's. Discussions on SAPARD and LEADER + 1 
			 18 November Modifications of RDPs from 5 accession countries and 2 member states (including Scotland) were presented and approved. General information on SAPARD funds was given by the commission. 1 
			 18 December Modifications to several member state rural development programmes (RDPs), including the England RDP. Discussion on simplification of Regulation 445/2002 (Commission Regulation laying down detailed implementation rules for the rural development regulation), and LEADER+ 1 
			 29 January Modifications to Latvian and Polish SAPARD programmes, and Italian and Austrian rural development plans. Timetable set for simplification of Regulation 445/2002. 1 
			 19 February Discussion on the proposed text to amend Regulation 445/2002. — 
			 19 March RDR simplification discussions concluded. Consultation on the proposal to evaluate systems established by MS for the management and control of rural development programmes funded by the EAGGF Guidance section. 1 
			 9 April Approval of SAPARD programmes of Bulgaria, Romania and Latvia. Discussion on information of uptake of SAPARD, computer records, closure of 94–99 programmes, access to information and CAP-IDIM.  
			 25 June Approval to amendments to the SAPARD programmes of several accession countries the rural development programmes (RDP) of a number of member states. General uptake of SAPARD also discussed. 1 (am session) 
		
	
	STAR meeting dates are known a year in advance and Scottish Executive officials are welcome to attend any meeting should they wish to do so. They and other interested parties are notified of each meeting as soon as the agenda is published on the commission's website which is usually between 7–10 days in advance of the meeting.
	(c) Standing Forestry Committee
	The Standing Forestry Committee met on 27 November and 4 December last year and 10 February, 7 April and 5 June this year. The committee covered a wide range of issues at these meetings, including forest fire protection plans, preparation of a community action plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade, monitoring forest health, and a proposal for a European Forest Information and Communication network. The Forestry Commission has full responsibility for representing Scotland, England and Wales, on the committee. The commission is the Government Department for forestry in Britain, and it reports direct to the Scottish, English and Welsh forestry ministers.
	(d) Committee on the Conservation, Characterisation, Collections and Utilisation of Genetic Resources in Agriculture
	The Committee on the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture met on 24 February 2003, during the Greek presidency. There were no meetings during the Danish presidency. The issues discussed were a report on the state of projects funded under Council Regulation EC 1467/94 and an exchange of views on a commission working document on a revised proposal for a new council regulation on the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture. Officials from Defra are in regular contact with officials in the Scottish Executive. UK representation varies according to the agenda for each meeting and may include members of the Scottish Executive and other devolved administrations where they consider that there are items of sufficient interest. No requests were made by the Scottish Executive for representation at this committee meeting.
	(e) European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund Committee and Working Party on Irregularities
	The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund Committee met in the Danish presidency on 18 July, 20 September, 7 October, 22 October, 8 November, 19 November and 17 December. In the Greek presidency it met on 22 January, 20 February, 20 March, 22 April, 16 May, 21 March and 18 June. Issues discussed at the committee included the payment of monthly advances from the fund, decisions on the clearance of CAP accounts, the exclusion from community financing of certain expenditure as a result of disallowance decisions, and other matters relating to the control of CAP expenditure. Details of the agenda are available to the Scottish Executive before each meeting, the date of which is usually set many months in advance, and representatives are entitled to attend.
	The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, Irregularities and Mutual Assistance—Agricultural Products Working Group did not meet during the Danish presidency and met only once during the Greek presidency, on 11 March 2003. The main agenda items were: formation of a temporary task force to audit all member states' outstanding cases of financial irregularity and attempts at recovery; difficulties experienced in the operation of the so-called 'black list' legislation; presentations on a variety of technical items, including electronic reporting systems; oral presentation, by commission experts, on visits to and co-operation with a number of third countries. Irregularity reporting and mutual assistance are the responsibilities that the Rural Payments Agency undertakes on behalf of the UK. As usual, Scottish representation was not sought for this meeting, but the Scottish Executive was briefed on the outcome.

Committee Meetings

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the dates of meetings of the committees on (a) Geographical Indications and Protected Designations of Origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs, (b) certificates of specific character for agricultural products and foodstuffs, (c) the farm accountancy data network, (d) organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs and (e) agricultural research during the (i) Danish and (ii) Greek presidency; what issues were discussed; when the Scottish Executive was informed of each meeting; for what meetings requests for Scottish representation were received; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is as follows:
	(a) Committee on Geographical Indications and Protected Designations of Origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs
	The Regulatory Committee on Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs met three times during the Danish and Greek presidencies: 22 July 2002; 5 February 2003 and 4 June 2003. The main issues discussed were: whether 'feta' cheese should be registered as a Protected Designation of Origin; the implications of WTO agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights; the EU/Swiss bilateral agreement on protected food names and the implications of the European Court of Justice Judgment relating to Parma ham. The Scottish Executive were provided with the agenda prior to each meeting and given the opportunity to comment or request attendance.
	(b) Committee on the Certificates of Specific Character for Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs
	The Regulatory Committee on Certificates of Specific Character for Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs met once during the Danish and Greek presidencies: 22 July 2002. The committee discussed amendments to the Commission Regulation setting out the detailed rules for the administration of the scheme. The Scottish Executive were provided with the agenda prior each meeting and given the opportunity to comment or request attendance.
	(c) The Management Committee on the Farm Accountancy Data Network
	Within the periods of the Danish and Greek presidency, the Management Committee of the Farm Accountancy Data Network met on 30 June 2003, 7 April 2003, 20 November 2002. The Community Committee for the Farm Accountancy Data Network was set up to support the information needs of the Common Agricultural Policy, specifically for determining farm incomes, for analysing the state of farm businesses and to contribute to the annual report on the situation of agriculture in the community. Issues discussed include selection plans for the survey; results for the 2000, 2001 and 2002 data; typology regulations; comparison of FADN results with other sources; the FADN database projects; and the situation in accession countries. The Scottish Executive is informed of all FADN meetings and papers in advance by the European Commission directly and by the Defra representative. A representative of the Scottish Executive attended the meetings of 30 June 2003 and 7 April 2003.
	(d) The Standing Committee on Organic Farming
	The Standing Committee on Organic Farming and its associated working groups met during the Danish presidency on 8–10 July; 5 and 30 September; 1, 7 to 9 and 15 October; 13 November and 4 to 6 and 12 December 2002; and during the Greek presidency on 21, 22, 27 and 28 January; 4 to 6 and 27 February; 14 and 26 March; 1, 2 to 3 and 29 April; 14 and 21 to 23 May and 12 and 13 June 2003.
	A wide variety of issues was discussed, in particular inspection arrangements for feed for organic livestock, seeds for use in organic farming, additives permitted in organic food, imports to the EU from third countries, the use of conventional ingredients in feed for organic livestock, conversion of livestock for organic production and the proposed EU Organic Action Plan. Arrangements are in place for consulting the Scottish Executive. No requests for Scottish representation were made.
	(e) The Standing Committee on Agricultural Research
	The Standing Committee on Agricultural Research did not meet during the Danish or Greek presidencies. DEFRA officials keep their counterparts in the Scottish Executive informed about meetings of SCAR. There is no bar to their attending as part of the UK delegation as their needs and interests arise.

Common Agricultural Policy

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she will make to the European Union for further reductions in agricultural (a) export and (b) trade distorting subsidies; whether the Government will press the European Union substantially to reduce expenditure on the Common Agricultural Policy; and if she will make a statement on the Common Agricultural Policy and the World Trade Organisation trade round.

Ben Bradshaw: The agreement on CAP reform which was reached by the Agriculture Council in June enabled the European Union to take a credible and constructive position on agriculture in the WTO negotiations at Cancun. Unfortunately the negotiations broke down before detailed discussion of agriculture was begun. However, in the forthcoming EU reviews of sugar, cotton, tobacco, olive oil and hops we shall be seeking decisions which further assist in reaching a satisfactory outcome to the Doha Development Agenda.

Common Agricultural Policy

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of Common Agricultural Policy reform proposals on (a) smaller and more economically marginal full-time farm holdings and (b) tenant farms in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: No specific assessment has been undertaken of the impact of the CAP reform proposals on smaller, economically marginal or tenant farmers. However, we have assessed the impacts of the proposals on farming and other businesses generally, including an analysis by farm activity, and a summary of these is included in the Regulatory Impact Assessments which have been lodged in the House Libraries.
	For the first time, the bulk of farm subsidy will not be dependent on what or how much farmers produce. They will instead be free to produce what they judge the market wants and so be better able to cut costs and increase profits. Our analysis suggests that those farmers who are economically marginal at present are likely to be more disposed to take advantage of this freedom to alter their activity and thereby increase their income. Farmers will also be freed from some of the bureaucracy associated with the subsidy schemes which are being replaced by this new decoupled subsidy. The historic recipient, whether owner or tenant, will continue to hold the subsidy entitlement.
	Farmers whose subsidy is less than Euro5,000, which is likely to include many of the smallest holdings, will be exempt from the reduction in subsidies to fund rural development and environmental measures. This exemption applies to tenants as well as farmers who own the land.
	The UK also has the option to retain 10 per cent. of payments to establish a national envelope to address potential negative impacts of decoupling for specific types of farming. The detailed rules of how this will apply have yet to be developed by the European Commission.

Common Agricultural Policy

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the dates of the joint meetings of management and regulatory committees in the field of agriculture on (a) promotion of agricultural products, (b) agrimonetary questions and (c) trade mechanisms, during the (i) Danish and (ii) Greek presidency; what issues were discussed; when the Scottish Executive was informed of each meeting; for what meetings requests for Scottish representation were made; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Agenda details of management and regulatory committees are provided to the Scottish Executive prior to each meeting with the opportunity to comment or request further information on any issue under discussion. The Scottish Executive is informed of the results of each meeting. No requests for Scottish representation were made for meetings of the Committee on the Promotion of Agricultural Products, the Agrimonetary Management Committee and the Trade Mechanisms Management Committee during the Danish and Greek presidencies. The dates of these meetings and a synopsis of the issues discussed is listed as follows:
	Committee on the Promotion of Agricultural Products
	The committee met monthly during the Danish and Greek presidencies with the exception of August and October 2002 and March 2003. The committee discussed amendments to and interpretation of the regulations, proposals submitted for funding and other issues relating to the implementation of regulations.
	Agrimonetary Management Committee
	The committee met in the Danish presidency on 16 October 2002 and in the Greek presidency on 9 April 2003. It discussed aspects of agrimonetary compensation and a minor amendment to the agrimonetary regulations.
	Trade Mechanisms Management Committee
	The UK is represented at the Management Committee by the Rural Payments Agency. With the exception of July and August 2002 and April 2003, the committee met monthly during the period of the Danish and Greek presidencies. The Committee is responsible for horizontal issues in respect of export refunds and CAP import and export licensing.

Common Agricultural Policy

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the dates of meetings of the management committees of the common organistations of agricultural markets for (a) cereals, (b) dehydrated fodder, (c) sugar, (d) oils and fats, (e) natural fibres, (f) milk and milk products, (g) beef and veal, (h) sheep and goat, (i) pigmeat, (j) poultrymeat and eggs, (k) fresh fruit and vegetables, (l) products produced from fruit and vegetables, (m) hops, (n) seeds and (o) live plants and floriculture products, during the (i) Danish and (ii) Greek presidency; what issues were discussed; when the Scottish Executive was informed of each meeting; for what meetings requests for Scottish representation were made; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is as follows.
	Management Committee for (a) Cereals
	The Cereals Management Committee normally meets on a weekly basis. Meetings are attended by officials from Defra and additionally, as necessary, by officials from other UK Agriculture Departments or the Rural Payments Agency. The Scottish Executive receives the agenda for each meeting at the same time as Defra, normally a week prior to the meeting taking place. During the period of the Danish and Greek presidencies, members of the Scottish Executive attended Cereals Management Committee meetings on 4 and 5 occasions respectively. Items under consideration included the regular adjudications for the export of cereals to third countries, the cereals harvest situation, the implementing rules for the import of cereal from third countries and the implementing rules for the trade in cereals with those applicant countries with whom the EU has negotiated reciprocal arrangements.
	Management Committee for (b) Dehydrated Fodder
	The Management Committee for dehydrated fodder met on 20 June 2003, under the Greek presidency. They did not meet during the Danish presidency. The Scottish Executive was informed once the date of the meeting was known, they did not ask to attend any Management Committee. The Committee considered the setting of the aid rate for dehydrated fodder.
	Management Committee for (c) Sugar
	The Sugar Management Committee normally meets on a weekly basis. Meetings are attended by officials from Defra and additionally, as necessary, by officials from other UK Agriculture Departments or the Rural Payments Agency. The Scottish Executive receives the agenda for each meeting at the same time as Defra, normally a week prior to the meeting taking place. During the period of the Danish and Greek presidencies, members of the Scottish Executive attended the Sugar Management Committee meetings on three and two occasions respectively. Items under consideration included the regular adjudications for the export of sugar to third countries, the sugar market situation, the implementing rules for the levies charged on the production of sugar in the EU, and the implementing rules for the trade in sugar with the Western Balkans.
	Management Committee for (d) Oils and Fats
	The dates of Management Committee meetings for oils and fats were:
	
		
			 2002 2003 
		
		
			 5 July 22 January 
			 11/24 September 12 February 
			 16 October 19 March  
			 20 November 9 April 
			 11 December 19 May 
			  11 June  
		
	
	The Scottish Executive was informed as soon as dates of meetings were known, they did not request to attend any Management Committee. The Committee considered matters relating to the management of the market for oils and fats.
	Management Committee for (e) Natural Fibres
	The dates of Management Committee meetings for Natural Fibres were:
	
		
			 2002 2003 
		
		
			 25 July 18 March 
			 1 August 28 May  
			 4 September  
			 13 November  
			 29 November  
		
	
	The meetings on 1 August 2002 and 13 November 2002 took place in the margins of the Management Committees for Sugar and for Oils and Fats respectively. The types of issues discussed include harvest and market reports for cotton, flax, hemp and silk; estimating cotton production so that a provisional reduction of the guide price can be calculated; revising cotton production estimates; fixing actual cotton production; apportioning a National Guaranteed Quantity of 5000 tonnes of short fibre between 5 minor producing countries; and contributing to the design of a fibre industry questionnaire. The Scottish Executive is regularly informed of the dates of Natural Fibres Management Committees, usually about a week beforehand, in case a representative wishes to attend.
	Management Committee for (f) Milk and Milk Products
	The dates of Management Committee meetings for milk and milk products were:
	
		
			 2002 2003 
		
		
			 11/25 July 16/30 January 
			 29 August 13/27 February 
			 12/26 September 13/27 March 
			 10/24 October 10/24 April 
			 14/28 November 15/28 May 
			 12 December 12/26 June 
		
	
	The Scottish Executive was informed a week prior to every meeting, they did not ask to attend any Management Committee. General subjects discussed at Milk Management Committees included, changes to annex I and non annex I export refunds, butter and skimmed milk powder intervention stocks, butter for food manufacture, butter for concentration, aid rates for casein, and the monthly market situation reporting. To view fully all items that were discussed at milk Management Committees please visit the following website: http://www.defra. gov.uk/foodrin/milk/mancom/2002/Archives.htm
	Management Committee for (g) Beef and Veal
	The dates of Management Committee meetings for beef and veal were:
	
		
			 2002 2003 
		
		
			 12/26 July 17/31 January 
			 30 August 14/28 February 
			 13/27 September 14/28 March 
			 11/25 October 10/24 April 
			 15/29 November 16 May 
			 13 December 13/27 June 
		
	
	The normal work of this Committee involves regular consideration of the market situation, including production, consumption, imports and exports. Its work also includes setting export refund rates, adjudicating intervention tenders (purchases and sales), opening import tariff quotas, consideration of technical aspects of beef carcase classification and price reporting and consideration of implementational aspects of the various producer support schemes and technical measures. The Scottish Executive was informed of these meetings at the same time as Defra, and it is for the Executive to decide whether or to not to attend as part of the UK delegation. An official from the Scottish Executive attended the Committee on 28 February.
	Management Committee for (h) Sheep and Goats
	The dates of Management Committee meetings for sheep and goats were:
	
		
			 2002 2003 
		
		
			 29 November 13 January 
			  14/28 February 
			  28 March 
			  10/25 April 
			  13/27 June 
		
	
	The normal work of this Committee involves regular consideration of the market situation (including production, consumption, imports and exports). Its work also includes opening import tariff quotas, consideration of technical aspects of sheep carcase classification, price reporting and consideration of implementational aspects of producer support schemes and other technical measures. The Scottish Executive was informed of these meetings at the same time as Defra, and it is for the Executive to decide whether or to not to attend as part of the UK delegation. No official from the Executive attended the Management Committee on Sheep and Goats.1nb
	Management Committee for (i) Pigmeat
	The dates of Management Committee meetings for pigmeat were:
	
		
			 2002 2003 
		
		
			 9 July 21 January 
			 18 September 18 February 
			 17 October 8 April 
			 19 November 21 May 
			 5/10 December 17 June 
		
	
	The Scottish Executive was informed a week prior to every meeting, and for training purposes attended the September meeting. General subjects discussed at pigmeat Management Committees included, changes to export refunds, the monthly market situation reporting, pig carcase grading classification and aids to private storage.
	Management Committee for (j) Poultrymeat and Eggs
	The dates of Management Committee meetings for poultrymeat and eggs were:
	
		
			 2002 2003 
		
		
			 9 July 21 January 
			 18 September 18 February 
			 17 October 11 March 
			 19 November 8 April 
			 10 December 20 May 
			  17 June 
		
	
	General subjects discussed at the eggs and poultry Management Committees included changes to export refunds for eggs, egg products (including non annex I products) and frozen chicken, representative prices, monthly market situation reporting, balance sheets and public stocks, and proposed amendments to egg marketing legislation. To view the latest agenda and debrief for the most recent meeting please visit the following website: http://defraweb/foodrin/poultrv/mancom/brussels.htm.
	Management Committee for (k) Fresh Fruit and Vegetables and (l) Products Produced from Processed Fruit and Vegetables
	The dates of Management Committee meetings for (k) and (l) fresh and processed fruit and vegetables were:
	
		
			 2002 2003 
		
		
			 16 July 10 January 
			 17 September 11/19 February 
			 15 October 12 March 
			 12 November 8/29 April 
			 10 December 6/14 May 
			  13/23/24 June 
		
	
	The Scottish Executive was informed as soon as dates of meetings were known, they did not ask to attend any Management Committee. The subjects discussed at fresh and processed fruit and vegetables Management Committees included the setting of export refunds, aid for certain products grown for processing and arrangements for assisting Producer Organisations.
	Management Committee for (m) Hops
	There were no meetings of the Management Committee for hops during this period.
	Management Committee for (n) Seeds
	The Seeds Management Committee met jointly with the Sugar Management Committee on 19 December 2002, and jointly with the Cereals Management Committee on 9 January 2003, to discuss a draft Regulation setting the minimum aid rate for certain agricultural products for the Outermost Regions (Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores). The Scottish Executive receives the agenda for each meeting at the same time as Defra, normally a week prior to the meeting taking place.
	Management Committee for (o) Live Plants and Floriculture Products
	There were no meetings of the Management Committee for live plants and floriculture products during this period.

Energy Efficiency

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Department has to encourage people to increase the installation of household energy-saving appliances.

Ben Bradshaw: The Energy White Paper details the steps being taken to encourage greater energy efficiency in the UK, and sets out an ambitious strategy for energy efficiency up to 2010 and beyond. Energy efficiency is expected to deliver about half the carbon savings needed to meet our goals for 2020. This will mean roughly doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement of recent decades.
	Key measures proposed in the White Paper include extension of the Energy Efficiency Commitment beyond 2005 at possibly twice its current level of activity; revisions to the Building Regulations; faster improvements in the standards of new household appliances; and consultation on economic instruments to improve household energy efficiency.
	Tighter building regulations will have an impact on new homes, alterations to existing stock and all replacement windows and boilers. We have already begun work on the next major revision of the building regulations, which we will aim to bring into effect in 2005. Tighter building regulations will also encourage developers to use low carbon solutions such as solar water heating and photovoltaics.
	As announced in Budget 2003, following the initial consultation last year the Government are consulting in more detail on specific economic instruments to encourage greater energy efficiency by households, including the use of measures to change the price differential between efficient and inefficient products.
	Micro-CHP could also in due course provide a useful contribution towards improving household energy efficiency. An estimated 250–500MW could be generated from micro-CHP by 2010, although the Government do not have a specific target for the amount of electricity to be generated by micro-CHP technology.
	The Government intend to publish an Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan within a year of the White Paper's publication, which will provide further detail on all of these policies.

Energy Efficiency

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the cost of energy wasted by UK households each year;
	(2)  what estimate has been made of the average potential financial saving to UK households through the implementation of energy-saving home improvements.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government estimates the potential for cost-effective improvements in energy use in homes at almost £ 3 billion a year or around 20 per cent. of current total expenditure. This is almost £120 per household. These figures are based on the installation of cost-effective insulation and the replacement, at the end of their useful lives, of boilers, lights and domestic appliances by the most efficient equivalent models available. Precise estimates vary, since new products reach the market and existing measures are installed but there is broad agreement on the 20 per cent. estimate.

Energy Efficiency

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much energy was produced per person in 2002; and what estimate she has made of production levels in EU countries.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	Energy production figures are shown in the following table. This information is for 2001, as this is the most recent date for which data for all the member states of the EU are available.
	
		
			 Country Total Energy Production (Millions of tonnes of oil equivalent) Population (Thousands) Energy Productionper capita (Tonnes of oil equivalent) 
		
		
			 Denmark 27.17 5,349 5.08 
			 UK 262.19 59,862 4.38 
			 Sweden 34.38 8,883 3.87 
			 Netherlands 60.44 15.987 3.78 
			 Finland 15.16 5,181 2.93 
			 France 133.19 59,038 2.26 
			 Germany 133.74 82,260 1,63 
			 Belgium 13.08 10,263 1.27 
			 Austria 9.72 8,121 120 
			 Greece 9.97 10,554 0.94 
			 Spain 33.02 40,122 0.82 
			 Italy 26.26 57,844 0.45 
			 Ireland 1.73 3,826 0.45 
			 Portugal 3.40 10,263 0.33 
			 Luxembourg 0.06 440 0.14 
			 Total 763.50 377,993 2.02 
		
	
	Source
	Figures for total energy production are from the International Energy Agency publication "Energy Balances of QECD Countries, 2000–2001" and relate to 2001. Population figures are from Eurostat and relate to 2001 (except Greece—2000).

Farm Animals (Health)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to (a) review compensation arrangements for all notifiable diseases in farm animals and (b) review the information systems used to administer and record compensation payments for each notifiable disease.

Ben Bradshaw: (a) We intend to consult on proposals to rationalise existing compensation arrangements for all notifiable animal diseases later this year. The main aim of the exercise will be to increase transparency and operational simplicity by creating a single approach for all notifiable diseases.
	(b) Work is in hand to improve business processes for bovine tuberculosis (TB) in Animal Health Offices and this includes the systems used to administer and record TB compensation payments.

Farm Animals (Health)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the levels of compensation available for bovine TB reactors in the context of known market values over each of the last five years for which records are available.

Ben Bradshaw: An internal audit review of compensation paid for animals slaughtered as part of the TB control strategy has found a steady increase in valuations in England since the compensation rate was changed to 100 per cent. of average market price in 1998. However, the auditors concluded that finding data against which TB valuations can be compared in a meaningful way is not a straightforward process.
	The total amount of compensation paid in GB from 1998–99 to 2002–03 is given in the table.
	
		Expenditure on TB compensation payments in Great Britain 1998–99 and 2002–03 -- £000
		
			 Financial year GB expenditure on TB compensation 
		
		
			 1998–99 3,491 
			 1999–2000 5,303 
			 2000–01 6,632 
			 2001–02 9,243 
			 2002–03 31,146

Farming Incomes

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes have taken place in the annual (a) net and (b) gross incomes of farmers in each of the past three years; and what estimates she has made of income levels in the next three years.

Ben Bradshaw: The gross income of the UK agriculture industry, as measured by the gross value of production, and the net income measures of Total Income from Farming and Total Income from Farming per full time person equivalent, are given in the table for the years 2000–02:
	
		£
		
			  Gross value of production Total income from farming Total income from farming per full time equivalent 
		
		
			 2000 15.0 billion 1.74 billion 7,848 
			 2001 15.3 billion 2.04 billion 9,298 
			 2002 15.5 billion 2.36 billion 11,107 
		
	
	Total income from farming is an aggregate measure of income across the whole farming industry. It is income generated by production within the agriculture industry, including subsidies, and represents business profits plus remuneration for work done by owners and other unpaid workers.
	Forecasts of the key drivers of future business prospects—in particular commodity prices and exchange rates—are highly uncertain.
	An increase in Total Income from Farming per full time equivalent of around one third is expected for 2003 due primarily to the effects of the exchange rate. There has been a recovery in the Euro so far in 2003 which has led to a rise in prices across a range of commodities and will result in higher direct subsidy payments.
	Beyond 2003, there is likely to be only a modest recovery in commodity markets over the medium term future.
	More detailed information may be found in a regular notice on the economic position of the farming industry published on the Defra website at http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/reports/repfi.pdf.

Fishing Industry

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will (a) seek to initiate a review of fisheries science by the EU and (b) commence an independent study into the Icelandic and Faeroese models of maintaining fish stocks and the fishing industry.

Ben Bradshaw: I see no need to initiate an EU review of fisheries science, given the advisory role that the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries is already required to play in relation to EU fisheries management measures. I expect that the forthcoming independent report from the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit on its UK Fisheries Project will review among other things the fisheries management systems applied by other countries.

Fishing Industry

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fishing vessels registered to other countries than the UK fished in each of the statistical fishing regions which fall within the UK's national waters in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The information held by Fisheries Departments in the UK relates only to the activity of foreign vessels when a landing has been made into the UK. It would be necessary to invite the various member states involved to supply the data.

Harmful Chemicals (Household Items)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the presence of harmful chemicals in household items; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The Department has commissioned and evaluated research into chemicals in the environment. Some of these chemicals may also be present in household items and this has been considered where relevant, but this has not been the focus of the work as it is outside Defra's remit. The Department has also conducted reviews on chemicals, which have been shared with the United Nations Environment Programme and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. This is in addition to work which the Department conducts under the Existing Substances Regulation (EC) 793/93 to meet our regulatory responsibilities. This work is focused on the environment and also considers impacts on human health via the environment.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government intends to introduce legislation to allow people claiming the pension credit to be eligible for services under the Warm Front home energy efficiency scheme.

Ben Bradshaw: On 4 September, Statutory Instrument, The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2003, amended the list of qualifying benefits for Warm Front to include Pension Credit. This came into effect on the 6 October.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is meant by the phrase: the offer of services of products, in promotional material for Warm Front produced by the scheme managers.

Ben Bradshaw: Reference to the use of client information for other services or products is included on the Warm Front application form, which is part of the Warm Front leaflet. This is to comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Particulate Matter Emissions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of tonnes of particulates saved from emission to the atmosphere in the UK as a result of accumulated switching from conventional automotive fuels to (a) LPG, (b) CNG, (c) LNG and (d) hydrogen.

Ben Bradshaw: Industry sources suggest there are around 100,000 vehicles currently running on LPG. It is not possible to precisely estimate the particulate matter emissions savings (a) because there are no measurements of particulate matter emissions from LPG fuelled vehicles and (b) there are no records of which fuel, petrol or diesel, was replaced. It is however estimated that around one third of LPG fuelled vehicles were converted from diesel. In this case, there would be savings of particulate matter emissions of around 130 tonnes per year. This is out of a total of 30,000 tonnes of PM emitted from UK road transport in 2001.
	Industry sources suggest approximately 850 vehicles currently run on CNG/LNG. These are mainly heavy-duty vehicles that would otherwise be running on diesel. On the basis of this figure, it is estimated that 13 tonnes of PM have been saved in the UK by these conversions to CNG.
	While comparatively small, these emissions savings contribute to improved air quality and help the UK move towards meeting its air quality objectives.
	There are presently only a few prototype/demonstration vehicles in the whole of the UK running on hydrogen. Therefore, the particulate matter emission savings from converting to hydrogen are currently negligible. There is, however, long-term potential for significant particulate matter emissions savings by replacing conventional fuelled vehicles with hydrogen fuelled vehicles.

Particulate Matter Emissions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the monetary value to the (a) environment and (b) human health of averting the emission of one tonne of particulates to the atmosphere.

Ben Bradshaw: The external costs of air pollution is a subject where considerable research work is being undertaken to improve our scientific and economic understanding of the health and environmental damages of air pollution. This work is important to provide the evidence base on which policies are developed.
	The framework for estimating the external costs of one tonne of particulates to the atmosphere requires a detailed step-by-step analysis to assess the effect of emissions on local and regional air concentrations; quantify the health and environmental impacts using dose response functions and data on population exposed and value these health and environmental impacts in monetary terms where appropriate. Many factors including location of emissions will determine the extent of damages from a tonne of particulates.
	In September 2001, the Interdepartmental Group on Costs and Benefits published "An Economic Analysis to Inform the Review of the Air Quality Strategy Objectives for Particles". This quantified a range of environmental and health effects arising from particulate emissions. Direct environmental effects of particles include damages from soiling of buildings. Evidence on the health effects of particles has been accumulating. Day to day variations in concentration of airborne particles are associated with day to day variations in a range of health end points. These include daily deaths, admissions to hospital for the treatment of both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and symptoms among patients suffering from asthma. In addition, there is evidence from the United States that long-term exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with a decrease in life expectancy. In 2001, COMEAP (Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants) reviewed the evidence on the long-term effects of particles on mortality and concluded that it was more likely than not that a causal association existed between long-term exposure to particles and mortality. The IGCB Report took on board this advice in quantifying the long-term mortality effects of particles. However, the health benefits were not presented in monetary terms due to the uncertainties over valuation in the air pollution context where empirical studies are not yet available.

Rights of Way

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies have been carried out into the contribution of functioning rights of way to income creation for rural economies.

Alun Michael: The 1998 Day Visits Survey, which surveyed leisure day visits in both urban and rural areas, found that walking was a principal activity on approximately 930 million trips in England and Wales. It estimated that over one billion pounds was spent on trips where walking was the main activity. The 2002 Leisure Day Visits Survey will be published later this year.

Sheep Farmers (Early Retirement)

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of a voluntary early retirement scheme for tenant sheep farmers, funded from the surrender of sheep premia.

Ben Bradshaw: Early retirement schemes have in the past been judged to provide poor value for money. For this reason, we have not used the provision in the EU Sheepmeat Regime permitting the Sheep National Envelope to be used to buy out sheep premium quota rights to establish an early retirement scheme; last year's Sheep Quota Purchase Scheme was intended to help address environmental problems caused by high sheep numbers in some upland areas. Direct payments under the Sheepmeat Regime will be made for one further year, but will be replaced from 2005 by Single Payments under the reform of the CAP agreed in June.

Sustainable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received regarding targets for sustainable energy usage by Government properties and the attainment of those targets.

Ben Bradshaw: From time to time the Government have received representations both from the public, from environmental groups and from the energy sector concerning the use of sustainable energy within their own estate.
	Most recently, correspondence on this issue has been concerned with the publication of the Sustainable Development in Government Report, the Energy White Paper consultation and the Sustainable Energy Bill 2001.

Veterinary Surgeons Act

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the effects that proposals to amend the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 to enable non-veterinary surgeons to diagnose bovine tuberculosis may have on (a) the welfare of cattle, (b) the welfare of badgers, (c) the welfare of non-wild animals, (d) the welfare of other wild animals, (e) the workload of existing veterinary practices, (f) the cashflow of existing veterinary practices, (g) the standards of diagnosis by (i) veterinary surgeons and (ii) non-veterinary surgeons and (h) the rate of the spread of the disease in (A) the national cattle herd, (B) geographic areas currently unaffected and (C) non-cattle animals.

Ben Bradshaw: We do not believe that the introduction of lay testers will have a detrimental effect on any of the elements listed.
	The role of the lay TB tester, set out in our consultation paper issued on 4 July 2003, does not include diagnosis. This will be the responsibility of the supervising Local Veterinary Inspector (LVI) or Veterinary Officer of the State Veterinary Service. It is proposed that 72 hours after the tuberculin injection, the lay tester would record skin measurements, together with a description of the type of reaction observed. This information will be passed to a veterinary surgeon for interpretation of the results.
	There is no intention of depriving LVI practices of their routine testing and no practice will be required to use lay testers. Those practices that chose to continue to use veterinary surgeons to perform TB tests would continue to receive fees at existing rates. A lower fee would be paid if a lay tester was used.

Water Abstraction

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors underlay the proposal of the Environment Agency to reduce the number of water abstractions in the South East; what assessment she has made of the effect on water supplies in the South East of this proposal; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Proposals to reduce abstraction in the South East are aimed at improving the environment at important wildlife sites that are presently being damaged or are threatened with being damaged by abstraction.
	Water companies have been given the proposed list of sites and have been asked to identify the solutions that they would have to implement to make these environmental improvements.
	The Office of Water Services and the Environment Agency are scrutinising the companies' plans and I have asked them to report to me in November. From their reports I will identify the environmental improvement schemes that should be included in companies' final business plans for 2005–10, due in April 2004. Throughout this process, security of water supply to customers is paramount and the timing of any changes to abstraction will be arranged so that there is no risk to public water supply.

Mercury Emissions

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an assessment of the health benefits of reducing mercury emission from crematoria, using the methodology developed for assessing the health benefits of the National Air Quality Strategy.

Ben Bradshaw: The methodology for the Air Quality Strategy is aimed at assessing the health impacts for pollutants where inhalation is the main route of exposure. It is not appropriate to use this methodology in this case because exposure through inhalation is negligable.
	Crematoria are a source of inorganic mercury. This is associated with tremors, gingivitis and/or minor psychological changes, together with spontaneous abortion and congenital malformation.
	Concern arises from the fact that this inorganic mercury can be transported over long distances and be transformed to methyl mercury in the bottom sediments of aquatic ecosystems. Methyl mercury can cause damage to the brain, kidneys and the central nervous system; as it readily crosses the placental barrier, foetal brain levels are approximately 5–7 times higher than in maternal blood. Foetal and postnatal exposures have given rise to abortion, congenital malformation and development changes in young children, with toxic effects in infants even when absent in the mother.
	The UK's long-standing policy approach is therefore to minimise, wherever practicable, the amounts of mercury entering the environment from all human activities. We have been discussing with the crematoria sector how they might mitigate any impacts.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Liquid Petroleum Gas

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the investment in the last five years in the UK economy generated by suppliers and distributors of (a) automotive LPG and LPG vehicles, (b) CNG and CNG vehicles, (c) LNG and LNG vehicles and (d) hydrogen and hydrogen vehicles.

Stephen Timms: The best estimates are:
	(a) For LPG £250 million (being £200 million for vehicles and £50 million for fuel),
	(b) and (c) For CNG and LNG combined £50 million, and:
	(d) Estimates are not available for this technology which is in its infancy.

South Sefton Partnership

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken by the South Sefton Partnership to improve support for businesses.

Jacqui Smith: This is one of South Sefton Partnership's four key objectives. The Partnership has recently prepared a small booklet, "South Sefton Partnership—The Story So Far", which aims to illustrate steps taken to date on these four key objectives.
	The steps taken in respect of this objective are as follows:
	developing the South Sefton Investment Centre project, which will provide much-needed managed workspace for small businesses and generating income for community projects beyond the lifetime of the Partnership;
	creating the South Sefton Small Firms Loan Fund, a seedcorn finance scheme run through Merseyside Special Investment Fund;
	launching two grant schemes for local companies. Gateway to Growth supports investment in capital equipment and Improve Your Lot supports improvements to sites and premises;
	funding a major study into the redevelopment of Bootle town centre with the aim of attracting investment and jobs to South Sefton and supporting the first phase of the improvement work;
	supporting an important study into the regeneration of Crosby Marina, creating anew watersports and visitor centre;
	funding a project providing grant assistance to small retail businesses to enable them to improve the security of their premises;
	funding the new post of Business Liaison Officer to promote the further development of the South Sefton Business Forum and the Partnership funded grant schemes; and
	funding the demolition and clearance of the former Secrets nightclub in Litherland to create a site for possible future use for housing.

British Energy

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost will be to the taxpayer of the credit facility made available to British Energy.

Stephen Timms: A credit facility (currently £200 million) has been made available to BE which will be repaid by the company under the terms of the restructuring plan at no cost to the taxpayer.
	Full details of the credit facility agreement are commercially confidential under Exemption 13: Third Party's Commercial Confidences of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information unless and until it is made public by British Energy.

Broadband

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will press BT to decrease the threshold numbers required for the instalment of Broadband in rural areas.

Stephen Timms: Decisions about whether to reduce further the threshold numbers for activating exchanges are a matter for BT. The Government welcomes the reductions that have already been announced in recent months.

Broadband

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list those areas in the Lewes constituency capable of accessing broadband; to which areas there are plans to extend such a capability; and on what dates.

Stephen Timms: This information is not currently held centrally within Government.
	However, BT's website (www.bt.com) includes a list of exchanges in the Lewes and the South East region showing which exchanges are already enabled for Broadband or are planned to be enabled with ready for service dates, which have trigger levels set and which do not.
	The local Regional Development Agency—South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA), have recently invited tenders for their Coastal Superhighway Programme. As a result of this programme, a new internet point of presence from a fibre optic network will be built in Lewes, which should improve the availability of broadband services in Lewes, by reducing the cost of backhaul and stimulating competition.
	In addition, any enterprises in the Lewes area and indeed the whole of the South East region, which cannot receive broadband from BT or from any other telecom or cable companies, may apply for a SEEDA satellite grant (http://www.rabbit-broadband.org.uk/)of up to £700, which covers an installation fee to contribute for the cost of a satellite broadband service.

Broadband

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the proportion of the population in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk, (c) Essex, (d) Cambridgeshire and (e) the UK who are unable to access broadband.

Stephen Timms: The latest available data (June 2003) forecasts that, in October 2003, the proportions of the population who are unable to access broadband are:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 (a) Suffolk 53 
			 (b) Norfolk 57 
			 (c) Essex 23 
			 (d) Cambridgeshire 45 
			 (e) UK (34)20 
		
	
	(34) all broadband technologies
	Note:
	The data for figures a-d is only available for ADSL broadband
	The recent East of England Development Agency 'Connecting Communities Competition' has introduced significant use of wireless solutions and should significantly improve broadband access in the region.

Carpets International

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she has taken to assist Carpets International (UK) Ltd. since it went into receivership; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Under the insolvency previsions of the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Redundancy Payments Directorate may pay certain guaranteed debts (within limits) if the employer is legally insolvent within the meaning of that Act. Any outstanding contractual debts owed to employees' remain listed in the insolvency as unsecured debts. The Edinburgh Redundancy Payments office has received and paid redundancy and other insolvency claims for all the employees (over 400) who worked at the Bradford Hartlepool and Hull establishments. The Gwent establishment is still trading with a view to selling that part of the business.
	The Employment Services (ES) Rapid Response Unit—a flexible service, tailored to the needs of the particular area, sector and company—was notified and is liaising with local partners such as the Regional Development Agency, the Local Learning and Skills Council, the Local Authority, Chamber of Commerce, to take any appropriate measures to assist or retrain the employees in question. For example, the ES offers access to a range of support schemes, from the New Deal and the Jobseekers Allowance through to more focused schemes designed to help those caught up in restructuring. It provides information on job searching, compiling CVs, further education and training for individuals who need to develop new skills, and benefits.

Coal Industry

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss the Large Combustion Plant Directive and its implications for the UK coal industry.

Stephen Timms: Government decisions relating to consultation on the implementation of the Large Combustion Plant Directive were reached by ministerial correspondence following extensive contact between officials of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which leads on the Directive, this Department and others with relevant interests

Combined Heat and Power

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to compel electricity companies to allow the installation into domestic accommodation of CHP units capable of feeding excess power into the grid.

Stephen Timms: I have no plans to do so. It is unnecessary to compel network operators to allow the installation of domestic scale CHP units as, provided that certain technical and safety related requirements are met, they are not currently in a position to deny connection to the distribution networks. Through the work of the Distributed Generation Working Group, the Government and Ofgem are working to encourage the development of simplified connection and metering arrangements that will facilitate the development and integration of domestic scale CHP technology.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will ensure there is a reply to the letter dated 7 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Tarik Shaei, addressed to the Companies Investigation Branch in her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: My official replied to the letter from my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Tarik Shaei on 3 October 2003.

Debt Management

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the Office of Fair Trading's compliance review of debt management companies; and what measures she plans to introduce to ensure good practice among debt management companies.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Office of Fair Trading has carried out a thorough compliance review to check on the industry's compliance with its debt management guidance. A report on the compliance review will be published shortly.
	The guidance sets out minimum standards which debt management companies should adhere to—failure to do so could result in action by the Office of Fair Trading to question their fitness to hold a consumer credit licence. The Office of Fair Trading continues to take up any issues of non-compliance with individual companies, such action can range from advisory/warning letters to formal action i.e. licence refusal/revocation.
	Due to the restrictions in the Consumer Credit Act relating to disclosure of information, the Office of Fair Trading cannot disclose details about action taken or planned against individual companies. Details of formal action taken are usually publicised and placed on the Office of Fair Trading public register.
	Since the guidance was issued there has been a considerable drop in complaints about Debt Management Companies to the Office of Fair Trading and to other consumer advice agencies.

Direct Selling

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received about the need to improve the regulations relating to direct selling; what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Office of Fair Trading is currently investigating the doorstep selling market as a supercomplaint within the terms of the Enterprise Act 2002. Its report is expected around the end of this year. Any recommendations will be carefully considered.

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent in each year by her Department in preparing for United Kingdom entry to the euro; how much her Department plans to spend on preparations for United Kingdom entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates she has made of the total costs to her Department of changeover to the European Single Currency.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury at column 142W.

Export Credit Guarantees Department

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her Answer of 20 June 2003, Official Report, column 493W, on ECGD, if she will list the exposure under each reinsurance contract; what the split of business reinsured between defence and non-defence is; which claims have been (a) notified but not yet agreed and (b) agreed but not paid; and what projections have been made of expected claims payments.

Mike O'Brien: Since the start of 1997, ECGD has reinsured 22 deals with other Export Credit Agencies (EGAs) in respect of medium/long-term business. ECGD has received no claims and therefore paid no claims. ECGD does not currently anticipate receiving any claims in respect of any of these cases. Current Exposure refers to the amount that ECGD has reinsured which is still outstanding.
	
		
			 Reinsured ECA Underlying insured party Risk status 
		
		
			 Coface Matra Marconi Space UK Ltd Corporate 
			 Coface Matra Marconi Space UK Ltd Public 
			 Hermes Matcon Limited Corporate 
			 Coface Cooper Rolls Ltd Corporate 
			 Coface MBDA UK Limited Sovereign 
			 Hermes Powergen UK PLC Sovereign 
			 Hermes VAI Industries (UK) Ltd Sovereign 
			 Coface Trane (United Kingdom) Limited Corporate 
			 Hermes Motherwell Bridge Engineering Limited Corporate 
			 Office National du Ducroire (OND) Kier Construction Limited Public and Corporate 
			 Hermes VAI Industries (UK) Ltd Corporate 
			 Sace Skanska Construction UK Limited Sovereign 
			 Sage Saipem UK Limited Corporate 
			 Oekb-Oesterreichische Kontrollbank VAI Industries (UK) Ltd Corporate 
			 Coface and Sage Demag Delaval Industrian Turbomachinery Limited Public and Corporate 
			 Sage Shell Research Limited Public 
			 Coface Alstom Power Plants Ltd Sovereign 
			 Export import bank of the United States Rolls-Royce plc Corporate 
			 Hermes Traffic Safety Systems Limited Sovereign 
			 Export import bank of the United States Rolls-Royce plc Corporate 
			 Coface MBDA UK Limited Sovereign 
			 Sace CRI Catalyst Company UK Ltd Sovereign 
		
	
	
		
			 Reinsured ECA Market Original value Current exposure Issue date Sector 
		
		
			 Coface Singapore 10,022,063 0 1997 Civil 
			 Coface Taiwan 9,983,926 0 1997 Civil 
			 Hermes Croatia 1,799,326 472,347 1998 Civil 
			 Coface United Arab Emirates 9,584,759 0 1998 Civil 
			 Coface Kuwait 29,661,020 0 1999 Defence 
			 Hermes Mexico 2,625,958 204,887 1999 Civil 
			 Hermes Croatia 9,996,706 9,996,706 1999 Civil 
			 Coface Turkey 331,719 88,440 1999 Civil 
			 Hermes Dominican Republic 29,520,129 20,114,522 2000 Civil 
			 Office National du Ducroire (OND) India 47,386,230 27,074,794 2000 Civil 
			 Hermes Brazil 21,228,898 18,614,705 2001 Civil 
			 Sace Iran (Islamic Republic of) 40,140,469 31,308,243 2001 Civil 
			 Sage Russian Federation 108,855,581 97,244,455 2001 Civil 
			 Oekb-Oesterreichische Kontrollbank Brazil 2,439,928 1,957,556 2001 Civil 
			 Coface and Sage Algeria 119,365,812 53,669,781 2001 Civil 
			 Sage Iran (Islamic Republic of) 23,425,293 23,425,293 2002 Civil 
			 Coface Turkey 33,637,809 32,406,342 2002 Civil 
			 Export import bank of the United States Israel 5,595,278 5,015,491 2002 Civil 
			 Hermes Romania 1,046,965 1,046,965 2002 Civil 
			 Export import bank of the United States Luxembourg 16,453,233 14,599,275 2002 Civil 
			 Coface United Arab Emirates 39,505,804 39,505,804 2002 Defence 
			 Sace Iran (Islamic Republic of) 13,498,847 0 2003 Civil 
		
	
	The is no current exposure for all four short-term reinsurance cases as these deals have been fully paid. ECGD has received no claims and paid no claims on these. The BAE Systems case in the following table refers to air traffic systems.
	
		
			 Reinsured short-term insurer Underlying insured party Risk status Market 
		
		
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd Marconi Corporation plc Corporate Germany 
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd Royal Ordnance plc Sovereign Singapore 
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd BAE Systems (Defence Systems Ltd) Public United Arab Emirates 
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd Rolls-Royce Industrial Power (India) Ltd Corporate Canada 
		
	
	
		
			 Reinsured short-term insurer Original value £ Current Exposure £ Issue date Sector 
		
		
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd 1,337,736 0 1998 Defence 
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd 18,600,000 0 1998 Defence 
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd 8,000,000 0 1997 Civil 
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd 765,600 0 1998 Civil

Export Credit Guarantees Department

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list reinsurance contracts underwritten by the ECGD; and in each case (a) who the reinsured party is, (b) who the underlying insured party is, (c) what cover is provided, (d) what the amount of the total exposure under the contract is and (e) what amounts have been paid in respect of these contracts for each year up to and including 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Prior to the end of 1997, ECGD provided reinsurance to other Export Credit Agencies (EGAs) under Co-operation Agreements on only two occasions in respect of medium/long-term business. The cover provided was reinsurance of all risks covered by the lead EGA.
	
		
			 (a) Reinsured ECA (b) Underlying insured party Risk status Market (e) Claims paid £ Issue date Sector Originalvalue £ (d) Current exposure £ 
		
		
			 Coface (France) Matra Marconi Space UK Ltd Corporate Singapore 0 1997 Civil 10,022,063 0 
			 Coface (France) Matra Marconi Space UK Ltd Public Taiwan 0 1997 Civil 9,983,926 0 
		
	
	Current Exposure refers to the amount that ECGD has reinsured which is still outstanding.
	These cases are also referred to in PQ No. 130246 answered today and were the first cases under the first Co-operation Agreement (with France) that was signed in 1995.
	There is no current exposure for the one reinsurance case issued in 1997 as this deal has been fully paid. ECGD has received no claims and paid no claims on this.
	
		
			 Reinsured short-term insurer Underlying insured party Riskstatus Market Originalvalue £ Current exposure £ Issuedate Sector 
		
		
			 NCM Credit Insurance Ltd BAE Systems (Defence Systems Ltd) Public United Arab Emirates 8,000,000 0 1997 Civil 
		
	
	However, it would incur disproportionate cost to list and detail every occasion that ECGD has provided short-term reinsurance prior to 1997 due to the very large numbers involved. When its short-term business was privatised in 1991, ECGD provided reinsurance on all exposure transferred to the commercial insurer (NCM Credit Insurance Ltd.)

Extra-territorial Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 16 May 2003, Official Report, column 463W, what assessment was made of the section of the Home Office report Raising Standards, Upholding Integrity: The Prevention of Corruption which states that the Home Office guidelines on extra-territorial control are not mandatory.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 16 September 2003
	I am aware that the Home Office guidelines on the application of extra-territorial jurisdiction are not mandatory.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on food by her Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance she has issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Approximately 85 per cent. of food purchased on behalf of my Department is provided by our in-house catering contractors, as follows.
	
		
			 Year £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 751 
			 2002–03 1,037 
		
	
	65 per cent. of this was spent on food produced in the United Kingdom.
	Acquiring similar information on the rest of the food purchased, which is provided by a large number of lesser supplies, would entail disproportionate cost.
	DEFRA guidance on sustainable good procurement has been circulated to the appropriate directorates in DTI and to our agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
	I have asked the Department's executive agencies to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Roger Heathcote to Mr. Lidington, dated September 2003
	You tabled a question on 9 September to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry asking her how much was spent on food by her Department and by each Agency for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance she has issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food; and if she will make a statement.
	The direct purchase of food and drink by the Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) consists solely of convenience refreshments for training events and meetings and was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 9,597 
			 2002–03 7,868 
		
	
	Since the supplies in question are provided by an external retail supplier we have no knowledge of the provenance of the food and drink involved.
	ETS has not issued guidance on the procurement of home-grown food.
	Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. Lidington
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect to your question (2002/3851) requesting information on how much was spent on food by each Agency in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance has been issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food.
	Expenditure on food in The Insolvency Service is generally limited to official hospitality provided by The Service in 2001–02 was £37,000 (including the cost of the closure of our London canteen facility) and in 2002–03 was £23,000. This took the form of buffet style services supplied by numerous small catering organisations across the country.
	The Agency does not hold any information on how much was grown or produced within the United Kingdom.
	Letter from Claire Clancy to Mr. Lidington
	I am responding to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.
	The total amount spent on food by Companies House in the year 2001/02 was £212,000 and in the year 2002/03 it was £221,000, of which approximately 55% was produced in the United Kingdom.
	The majority of our costs are recovered in the prices charged in the staff restaurant.
	Letter from Dr. J. W. Llewellyn to Mr. Lidington
	The Secretary for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question on how much was spent on food by her Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom
	National Weights and Measures Laboratory has spent (a) £5.8k in 2001–02 and (b) £5.2k in 2002–03 on entertainment. This covers the purchase of catering services for Agency events, biscuits, coffee and tea for meetings, consumables for working lunches and entertaining customers. Records are not kept in such a way that the amount spent on UK produce can be identified.
	Letter from R. J. R. Anderson to Mr. Lidington
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency to your Parliamentary Question about expenditure on food.
	Agency expenditure (ex-VAT) on food is as follows:
	FY 2001/02 £121,922 of which £75,592 was spent on UK produced goods (62%).
	FY 2002/03 £139,560 of which £87,913 was spent on UK produced goods (63%)
	We have been assured by our caterers Baxter and Platts that it is their Policy to purchase food in accordance with UK and EC legislation and to satisfy their clients requirements. The Agency encourages all its suppliers to procure all goods and services competitively and to deal with all parties in a fair and reasonable manner.
	Letter from Alison Brimelow to Mr. Lidington
	House of Commons Parliamentary Question: 2002/3851.
	I am replying to this parliamentary question, tabled on 9 September 2003, about expenditure on food.
	Expenditure on food in the Patent Office is generally limited to the provision of official hospitality, some of which is supplied under a contract with an external food supplier. This contract is administered by the Office for National Statistics with whom we share a site. Our recorded expenditure is:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 38,000 
			 2002–03 46,000. 
		
	
	Whilst no analysis of country of origin is available, it is estimated that the greater part of the food supplied was produced in the United Kingdom.

Graffiti

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with representatives of the statutory undertakers about graffiti on their street furniture or other property; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 1 July 2003, Official Report, column 249W by my hon. Friend the Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety.

Mineworkers' Compensation

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money the Government has paid to Vernside Ltd. in legal costs for processing vibration white finger and respiratory coal health claims.

Stephen Timms: In total the Department has made over 315,000 payments to VWF and respiratory disease claimants in full and part settlement, totalling £1.68 billion.

Minimum Wage

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many successful prosecutions for failure to pay the national minimum wage there have been in Crosby.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 contains a number of provisions empowering enforcement officers to take civil action against non-paying employers and the Inland Revenue always uses these in the first instance.
	In 2002–03, 1,996 employers in the UK were found by the Inland Revenue not to be complying with the minimum wage regulations. The north-west region accounted for 181 of these employers.
	In addition, the Inland Revenue identified over £3.5 million in arrears. The majority of employers complied without further action being needed and only 26 enforcement notices were issued. To date there have been no criminal prosecutions in relation to underpayment of the minimum wage.

Model/Photographic Agencies

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many spot check inspections on model agencies and photographic agencies were carried out by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in each year since 1997; and how many prosecutions took place in each year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The total number of inspections and prosecutions undertaken by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate since 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			  Inspections Prosecutions 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,325 14 
			 1998–99 1,360 3 
			 1999–2000 1,319 3 
			 2000–01 1,124 2 
			 2001–02 854 8 
			 2002–03 950 8 
		
	
	Data broken down by sector of the private recruitment industry are not available for these years.

Model/Photographic Agencies

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce regulation in the child model agency and child photography industry, with particular reference to a requirement for compulsory registration with the Criminal Records Bureau.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government have no plans to introduce a requirement for compulsory registration with the Criminal Records Bureau for the child model agency and child photography industry. However, a review of the legislation covering the private recruitment industry is currently under way and we propose to introduce revised regulations covering the conduct of all employment agencies and employment businesses.

Offshore Wind Farms

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Crown Estate's plans to charge rent in respect of offshore wind farms.

Stephen Timms: The Crown Estate owns the seabed around the United Kingdom to the limit of the territorial sea. The Crown Estates Act 1961 requires The Crown Estate Commissioners to maintain and enhance the value of the Estate and the return obtained from it, with due regard to the requirements of good estate management. Companies entering into lease agreements for wind farm developments with the Crown Estate will be charged an appropriate rental for the site. Following discussion with industry and the British Wind Energy Association, The Crown Estate has indicated that, up to 2010, the basis for calculating rentals for new wind farm site leases will be unchanged from the current 2 per cent. of gross revenue, with a rent review after 20 years.
	The Government have committed themselves to bringing forward legislation as soon as the Parliamentary timetable allows to facilitate the construction of wind farms beyond territorial waters in a Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). Our intention is that The Crown Estate will have powers to licence areas of the seabed in the REZ and will be able to charge a rental for use of the sea bed.

Post Offices

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy to urge the Post Office to organise public meetings (a) before decisions are made about closures and (b) for each individual closure proposal once the decisions are made on a particular area; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The development of post office closure proposals under the urban reinvention programme and the associated public consultation arrangements are operational matters for Post Office Ltd. within the framework of the Code of Practice agreed with Postwatch.

Post Offices

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy on the (a) proposals by the Post Office to close post offices in South Portsmouth in 12 months and (b) closure by the Post Office of financially viable local offices.

Stephen Timms: Post Office Ltd. has recently put forward to public consultation its post office closure proposals for Portsmouth, South constituency under its revised arrangements for the urban network reinvention programme whereby proposals are put forward on an area-by-area basis using Parliamentary constituencies as a guide. This will result in a 'once over the ground' approach bringing clarity and greater certainty to the future shape of the network in each area. Public consultation has been extended from four to six weeks.
	Post Office Ltd.'s area closure proposals are determined by a range of factors including the numbers of offices in close proximity to each other and current and projected business volumes. The aim of the programme is to create a sustainable network of viable urban post offices.

Post Offices

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much compensation has been paid to the Post Office for their closure programme; and how much more is expected to be paid.

Stephen Timms: Parliament has approved funding of up to £180 million for compensation payments under the urban post office network reinvention programme. To date, £38,554,936 has been paid to Post Office Ltd.

Post Offices

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received about the proposals by the Post Office to close local post offices in South Portsmouth; what has been her response; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Five letters have been received from the hon. Member from Portsmouth, South and one joint letter from Councillors Goble, Andrew and Bentley of Portsmouth city council. The responses explained the rationale for the urban post office network reinvention programme and that the process to determine the closure of individual offices is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. which they carry out in accordance with the formal public consultation process under the Code of Practice agreed with Postwatch.

Post Offices

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make representations to the Post Office about the number of proposed closures of local post offices in South Portsmouth; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Proposals for post office closures and final decisions on them, following public consultation under the Code of Practice, are operational matters for Post Office Ltd. The Government do not have a role in the process to determine the closure of individual post offices.

Post Offices

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many rural sub-post offices have closed since 1 March.

Stephen Timms: I understand that Post Office Ltd. produces information on post office closures on a quarterly basis. For the quarter up to the end of March 2003, there were 61 net closures throughout the rural post office network with 43 net closures in the quarter to end of June 2003, the latest quarter for which figures are currently available.

Post Offices

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices she has visited since she took up her appointment.

Stephen Timms: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State visits post offices regularly in her capacity as the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in her capacity as a Member of Parliament, and as a customer.

Power Failures

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects of the recent power failures affecting London on the national economy; and what the possible causes of the power failures are.

Stephen Timms: The major power failure affecting London and parts of Kent on the 28 August 2003 occurred at 18:20 and lasted 41 minutes. Due to the timing and duration of the interruption there was transport disruption that affected a large number of people travelling home at the end of the working day, however the Department of Trade and Industry has not conducted a formal assessment of the impact of the event on the UK economy.
	According to National Grid Transco, the cause of the failure was the incorrect operation of a protective device at Wimbledon substation. My Engineering Inspectorate is currently carrying out a detailed investigation of the circumstances of the incident, including the impact on the transport infrastructure.

Power Failures

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment her Department has made of the cost of the loss of power through overhead power lines in terms of transmission costs compared to underground transfer; and what research she has commissioned to assess the amount of energy lost overhead and the impact on the cost and efficiency of such lines.

Stephen Timms: The National Grid Company (NGT) has indicated that losses from overhead lines are approximately 50 per cent. greater than for underground cables for power flows at the same voltage.
	The cost of losses is not separately available for overhead lines and underground cables. However, NGT advise that total transmission losses (including overhead lines, underground cables and transformers) account for about 1.5 per cent. of energy transferred on the England and Wales transmission network or a cost of around £90 million p.a. (This compares with average losses on the distribution system of approximately 7 per cent.).
	The available data indicate that replacing overhead lines with underground cables could not be justified by gains in efficiency, due to the significantly higher capital cost of underground cables.

Power Failures

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the risks to the United Kingdom of a major power failure in January to February 2004; and what plans are in place to prevent power incapacity at the coldest time of year.

Stephen Timms: Maintaining the reliability of energy supplies is one of four key goals set out in the Government's Energy White Paper.
	It is not Government's role to second-guess the electricity market. Rather, through competitive markets, participants have strong financial incentives to maintain reliable supplies of electricity. These incentives are backed by a number of licence conditions and statutory obligations on National Grid, electricity suppliers and generators, which are enforced by Ofgem.
	The Government do have a co-ordinating role to ensure that information is provided to the market. A major component of this is our work with Ofgem, through the joint energy security of supply working group to monitor energy security.
	National Grid also informs the market as to the forecast likely supply and demand position using a variety of publications and industry fora. In addition National Grid notifies market participants of tight reserve margins nearer to real time through a hierarchy of alert notices.
	National Grid Transco's report on the outlook for gas and electricity markets was published today by Ofgem, and a copy of the report has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	National Grid has announced that it will be tendering for additional reserve capacity to enable it to mange the risks of short-term plant failure and changes in demand. These contracts would be in place prior to the winter period.
	In addition, NOT is considering with participants to the Gas Network Code proposals to reduce the risk of supply disruptions in the gas market and the potential impact of these on gas-fired generation to the electricity market. Any formal proposals for modification would need to be considered by Ofgem, in light of their statutory duties, prior to implementation.

Power Failures

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost to the National Grid was of loss of power through (a) trees falling on a power line, (b) high winds causing interruption of power in high wires carried over pylons, (c) birds landing on such lines and (d) other major loss of power from other causes in the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: The number of incidents on NGT's network, which caused an immediate loss of supplies in the 12 months to 30 September 2003, is 10.
	These incidents break down as follows:
	(a) trees—none
	(b) high winds—none
	(c) birds—none
	(d) other—10 incidents (of which three are attributed to lightning strikes, one to a light aircraft colliding with an overhead line, four due to protection operations, one to plant failure, and one as a result of a construction incident—the losses of supply in these incidents range from under 1 minute to approximately 40 minutes).
	On average 0.0001 per cent. of the total energy transferred on the England and Wales transmission network is lost per annum due to faults on the transmission network. Consequently, the actual figure for the cost to NGT through the loss of power from these incidents is very small (of the order of a few thousand pounds per annum).

Small Businesses

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of gross domestic product is accounted for by the output of (i) small and (ii) micro businesses in (a) Dumfries & Galloway, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.

Nigel Griffiths: The percentage of gross domestic product accounted for by the output of small and micro businesses in the UK is not available.

Supermarkets

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects the Office of Fair Trading to conclude its review of the Supermarket Code of Practice; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Office of Fair Trading is expected to conclude its review of the Code of Practice governing supermarkets' relations with their suppliers this autumn. The OFT will then send its results to DTI for formal consideration. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will wait for the results of that review before deciding if any action is necessary.

Wind Farms

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who bears the cost of public inquiries into planning applications for wind farms.

Stephen Timms: Each participant bears his own costs and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry recovers her costs, such as the employment of an inspector, from the developer.

WTO (Cancun)

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what the (a) size and (b) cost of the EU delegation to the Cancun Summit was;
	(2)  what the total cost of the United Kingdom delegation's travel and subsistence at the Cancun Summit was.

Patricia Hewitt: Accounts for the World Trade Organisation ministerial are not currently available and can be produced only at disproportionate cost. The costs will be spilt over a number of different Departments. Each Department publishes its financial accounts after the end of the relevant financial year.

WTO (Cancun)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total cost was of Ministers' and civil servants' attendance at the Cancun Fifth World Trade Organisation ministerial, including accommodation and travel charges.

Patricia Hewitt: Accounts for the World Trade Organisation ministerial are not currently available and can be produced only at disproportionate cost. The costs will be spilt over a number of different Departments. Each Department publishes its financial accounts after the end of the relevant financial year.

DEFENCE

HMS Tireless

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of repair to HMS Tireless is; when he will return to service; what the result was of the inquiry into the incident; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: HMS Tireless rejoined the Fleet earlier this month. The cost of the repair has still to be finalised, but is expected to be under £1 million.
	This incident was subject to a Royal Navy Board of Inquiry (BOI). A BOI is an internal fact-finding investigation into the circumstances surrounding a particular incident, undertaken by the Services for internal use. The main purpose is to establish the facts concerning an incident as quickly as possible and to make recommendations aimed at preventing a recurrence. The Board found no grounds for any disciplinary action.

Alvis Vickers

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Alvis Vickers personnel were dispatched to Kuwait in the period immediately preceding the invasion of Iraq to upgrade British Army vehicles; what assessment he has made of the contribution of the upgrades provided by Alvis Vickers to the performance of the British Army on Operation Telic; and what weight will be given to a proven ability to provide operational support and upgrade work when choosing a contractor for the Future Rapid Effect System.

Adam Ingram: Some 60 AVL personnel went to Kuwait to support British troops on Operation Telic. Equipment availability is a key factor in any military operation, and we greatly value the contribution made by civilian contractors. The capacity to support equipment effectively when it enters service is a consideration for acquisition programmes, and this will be the case with FRES.

Armed Forces (Modernisation)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy not to reduce the strength and establishments of (a) Royal Navy frigates, destroyers and submarines, (b) the Army Air Corps, (c) the Infantry, (d) the Royal Armoured Corps, (e) the Royal Artillery, (f) the Royal Engineers, (g) RAF squadrons and (h) RAF aircraft procurement programmes.

Adam Ingram: In his speech to RUSI on 26 June this year (a copy of which is available in the Library of the House), the Defence Secretary made clear how we will continue to modernise our armed forces to respond to changes in society, technology and the strategic environment.

Arms Sales Exhibition (Excel Centre)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of policing the arms sales exhibition at the Excel Centre in London.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 September 2003 Official Report, column 950W to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable). The final cost remains to be established.

Death-in-service Benefits

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to improve the death-in-service benefits and pensions of servicemen and women.

Ivor Caplin: I refer my hon. Friend to my written statement on 15 September 2003, Official Report, columns 39–40WS.

Defence Attaches

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence attaché staff there are at each diplomatic post abroad; what the roles of those based in the United States are; and what proportion of their working time was spent on each major activity in the last year for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: A total of 128 United Kingdom Defence attachés/advisors are currently deployed in 82 locations as follows:
	
		
			 Country City Number of attachés at post 
		
		
			 Albania Tirana 1 Army 
			 Angola Luanda 1 Army 
			 Argentina Buenos Aires 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Australia Canberra 2 (1 RN, 1 RAF) 
			 Austria Vienna 1 Army 
			 Bahrain Manama 1 RN 
			 Barbados Bridgetown 1 RN 
			 Belgium Brussels 1 RAF 
			 Brazil Brasilia 2 (1 RN, 1 RAF) 
			 Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan 1 RN 
			 Bulgaria Sofia 2 (1 RN, 1 Army) 
			 Canada Ottawa 2 (1 RAF, 1 Army) 
			 Chile Santiago 1 Army 
			 China Beijing 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Colombia Bogota 1 Army 
			 Congo DRC Kinshasa 1 Army 
			 Croatia Zagreb 1 Army 
			 Cyprus Nicosia 1 Army, 
			 Czech Republic Prague 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Denmark Copenhagen 1 RN 
			 Egypt Cairo 2 (1 RN, 1 Army) 
			 Ethiopia Addis Ababa 1 Army 
			 Finland Helsinki 1 Army 
			 France Paris 3 (1 RN, 1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Georgia Tbilisi 1 RN 
			 Germany Berlin 4 (1 RN, 2 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Ghana Accra 1 Army 
			 Greece Athens 2 (1 RN, 1 Army) 
			 Guatemala Guatemala City 1 Army 
			 Hungary Budapest 2 (1 Army 1 RAF) 
			 India New Delhi 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Indonesia Jakarta 1 Army 
			 Ireland Dublin 1 Army 
			 Israel Tel Aviv 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Italy Rome 3 (1 RN, 1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Jamaica Kingston 1 Army 
			 Japan Tokyo 1 RN 
			 Jordan Amman 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Kazakhstan Almaty 1 Army 
			 Kenya Nairobi 1 Army 
			 Korea Seoul 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Kuwait Kuwait City 1 Army 
			 Latvia Riga 1Army 
			 Lebanon Beirut 1 Army 
			 Lithuania Vilnius 1 Army 
			 Macedonia Skopje 1 Army  
			 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 2 (1 RN, 1 Army) 
			 Morocco Rabat 1 Army 
			 Nepal Kathrnandu 1 Army 
			 Netherlands The Hague 1 RN 
			 New Zealand Wellington 1 Army 
			 Nigeria Abuja 1 Army 
			 Norway Oslo 1 RN 
			 Oman Muscat 2 (1 RN, 1 Army) 
			 Pakistan Islamabad 2 (1 RN, 1 Army) 
			 Philippines Manila 1 Army 
			 Poland Warsaw 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Portugal Lisbon 1 RN 
			 Qatar Doha 1 RAF 
			 Romania Bucharest 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Russia Moscow 6 (2 RN, 2 Army, 2 RAF) 
			 Saudi Arabia Riyadh 3 (1 RN, 1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Serbia and Montenegro Belgrade 1 Army  
			 Sierra Leone Freetown 1 Army 
			 Singapore Singapore 2 (1 RN, 1 RAF) 
			 Slovak Republic Bratislava 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Slovenia Ljubljana 1 Army 
			 South Africa Pretoria 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Spain Madrid 2 (1 RN, 1 RAF) 
			 Sri Lanka Colombo 1 Army 
			 Sweden Stockholm 1 RAF 
			 Switzerland Berne 1 Army 
			 Syria Damascus 1 Army 
			 Thailand Bangkok 1 Army 
			 Turkey Ankara 2 (1 Army, 1 RAF) 
			 Uganda Kampala 1 Army 
			 Ukraine Kyiv 2 (1 RN, 1 Army) 
			 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 1 Army 
			 USA Washington 8 (3 RN, 3 Army, 2 RAF) 
			 Uzbekistan Tashkent 1 Army 
			 Venezuela Caracas 1 RN 
			 Zimbabwe Harare 1 Army 
		
	
	There are a total of four officers (2 RN, 2 RAF) employed in Canada, Russia, India and USA as Office Managers; these are not accredited diplomatic posts.
	The principal role of an attaché is to further the UK's Defence Diplomacy aims in his host country. This is articulated as six core attaché functions:
	Support to Defence Diplomacy;
	Provision of Operational Military Advice and Assistance;
	Provision of Politico-Military Advice;
	Support to Defence Intelligence;
	Support to Defence Exports; and
	Representation and Administrative Support.
	With the exception of Washington, the average percentage effort devoted to each core function by attachés employed in British embassy Defence sections is as follows:
	Support to Defence Diplomacy—38 per cent.
	Provision of Operational-Military Advice—16 per cent.
	Provision of Politico-Military Advice—12 per cent.
	Support to Defence Intelligence—8 per cent.
	Support to Defence Exports—16 per cent.
	Representation and Administrative Support—10 per cent.
	A similar breakdown of Washington's outputs against the same six functions is as follows:
	Support to Defence Diplomacy—33 per cent.
	Provision of Operational-Military Advice—16 per cent.
	Provision of Politico-Military Advice—15 per cent.
	Support to Defence Intelligence—14 per cent.
	Support to Defence Exports—4 per cent.
	Representation and Administrative Support—18 per cent.
	The main area of variance between Washington and the rest of the world is its support to Defence Exports. Within the British Defence Staff Washington there is a significant non-diplomatically accredited Defence Equipment Staff dedicated to supporting this core function.

European Competition Policy

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with European partners on the development of European competition policy in the defence industry.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	I have had no discussions on this issue with European partners. My hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations, Industry and the Regions represented the UK at the 13 May 2003 EU Competitiveness Council where the European Commission Communication of 11 March 2003, entitled "European Defence—Industrial and Market Issues: Towards an EU Defence Equipment Policy", was discussed. As a result, the European Commission plans to present its reflections on the application of competition rules in the defence sector for further discussion, possibly by the end of 2003.

Firing Ranges

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what firing ranges, other than Tipner, are used by the Royal Navy; and how many days in each of the last three years these alternatives have been used.

Ivor Caplin: The Royal Navy has used the following ranges other than Tipner in the Portsmouth area:
	
		
			 Firing ranges Days used 
		
		
			 MWS (Collingwood) 549 
			 Army Cadet Range at Browndown 90 
			 MWS (Dryad)(35) 375 
			 Pirbright (Army) 15 
			 Bisley (Army) 60 
		
	
	(35) Closes 2004.

Firing Ranges

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days, in each of the last three years, the Tipner firing ranges have been used by (a) Royal Navy and (b) other agencies.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested is only readily available for the last 12 months, but there is no reason to believe that the pattern of usage has changed significantly over the last three years:
	RN—252 days
	Other Agencies—58 days

Firing Ranges

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future use of the Tipner firing ranges; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The ranges at Tipner are vital to maintaining military training for the Royal Navy in the Portsmouth area, and will remain in use for the foreseeable future.

Firing Ranges

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been a recent study into the use of Tipner firing ranges by Brent geese; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: There has been no Ministry of Defence sponsored study into the use of Tipner ranges by Brent Geese. However, the MOD is aware of two recent studies, by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Ecological Planning and Research.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's planned expenditure on (i) the Future Rapid Effects System and (ii) all other armoured vehicle projects is over the next 15 years.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's financial planning processes focus on ten years ahead for equipment acquisition costs and four years ahead for other areas of expenditure. It is not therefore possible to provide the detailed cost information sought over a 15 year period.
	The Future Rapid Effects System project is still in its concept phase. We are therefore yet to endorse the acquisition cost of the project, although it could be in the region of £6 billion.
	Other armoured vehicle projects (which have passed their Main Gate investment decision point) are shown below, together with their post Main Gate expected acquisition costs:
	Future Beach Recovery Vehicle (£13 million);
	Viking (£73 million);
	Terrier (£365 million);
	Titan and Trojan (£407 million);
	Future Command and Liaison Vehicle (£238 million).
	In addition, two other armoured vehicle projects—the Armoured Battlegroup Support Vehicle (ABSV) and the Warrior Mid Life Improvement—are still in their concept phases. Consequently, costs have yet to be agreed for these programmes.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether funding for other armoured vehicle projects has been changed as a consequence of the funding arrangements for the Future Rapid Effects System.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's annual planning round is used to balance levels of investment across capabilities to ensure that our acquisition plans are, in aggregate, affordable within the resources allocated to the future equipment programme. At the individual project level, there is therefore no direct or specific linkage between increased funding in one area and reductions in another.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement on the Future Rapid Effects System; and if he will make a statement on its role in the future capability of the Army.

Adam Ingram: FRES will be at the forefront of the Army's rapid intervention capability, across the spectrum of missions from warfighting to peace-keeping. It is expected that the capability will be provided by a system of air-transportable medium weight armoured vehicles and that it will operate as an integral part of future network-enabled forces.
	As part of the current concept phase of the FRES project, the MOD has been undertaking planning work in order to inform decisions on how best to take the programme forward. The MOD is now considering procurement options and we expect to make an announcement later this year on the way ahead for the project.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he estimates that the number of variants for the proposed Future Rapid Effects System will fall below 15.

Adam Ingram: The Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) project is in its concept phase. The optimum make up of the FRES fleet will be determined by studies planned for the subsequent assessment phase of the programme. Only when these studies have been completed will we be able to finalise the number of variants required.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects the A400M to be compatible with the requirements of the proposed Future Rapid Effects System; and how this has been affected by the delays in the assessment phase for the Future Rapid Effects System;
	(2)  what extra costs he expects to incur to the A400M programme to make it compatible with the requirements of the proposed Future Rapid Effects System.

Adam Ingram: The requirements for the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) are still being developed as part of the project's concept phase. Studies are planned for the next phase of the FRES programme to examine coherence with associated programmes including A400M. These studies will ensure that the FRES requirements take into account the need for air portability. The contract for the A400M programme has now been signed. It is not currently expected that there will be any consequent adjustments to it, and therefore no additional costs have been identified.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the effects of the timescales for (a) the A400M and the development of a strategic lift capability and (b) the awarding of the contract for the Future Rapid Effects System on (i) the development of a rapidly deployable medium force capability and (ii) the projected in-service date of the Future Rapid Effects System.

Adam Ingram: In seeking a better balance in our deployable land forces, we plan to shift from the current mix of light and heavy forces representing the two extremes of deployability and combat power to a more graduated and balanced structure of light, medium and heavy forces, together with a greater emphasis on enabling capabilities such as logistics, engineers and intelligence. The introduction of the air-transportable, medium-weight Future Rapid Effects System family of vehicles is one part of this re-balancing. The ISD for FRES will be formally set at the Main Gate investment decision, however the planning assumption for its ISD remains around the end of this decade. A400M enters service in a comparable timeframe—its ISD is 2011.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to purchase or lease further C-17s to provide a strategic lift capability for the proposed Future Rapid Effects System.

Adam Ingram: The MOD is currently considering the retention in service of a small fleet of C17 aircraft. This is not specifically linked to the introduction of the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES), although C17s could have utility in this role alongside other airlift assets.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution the Government has made to ensure that an accurate central list of Iraqi detainees in coalition-run prisons in Iraq, with names in Arabic, is kept.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The names of all Iraqis held at the Theatre Internment Facility are held on a database which includes Arabic names that have been transliterated into English by an interpreter. A list of names of all UK detained Iraqis held in the Theatre Internment Facility, and for which the UK Military is therefore responsible, is passed onto the International Committee of the Red Cross every two weeks.

Iraq

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the estimated monthly cost of keeping British military personnel and equipment in Iraq and the surrounding region is, following the recent deployment of extra troops;
	(2)  what the estimated total cost to date is of deploying British military personnel and kit to Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of Operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs which the Department would have incurred had the operation not been undertaken—expenditure on wages and salaries or on conducting training exercises, for example—are deducted from the total costs of the operation.
	Calculating all the costs of military action will take some time since they will include the cost of ammunition, bombs and guided weapons consumed in excess of peacetime levels and the cost of repairing and replacing equipment destroyed and damaged. We do however estimate the cost of preparatory activities in 2002–03 at around £700 million, less than the £1 billion set aside at Spring Supplementary Estimates 2002–03. This estimate includes the procurement or modification of equipment, increased maintenance and stock consumption, civil sea and air charter and provision of infrastructure in-theatre. A figure for total costs in 2002–03 including the cost of operations up to 31 March 2003 will be published in the Department's Resource Accounts at the end of October 2003.
	It is too early to estimate the costs likely to arise in 2003–04. Once these are known, additional funding will be sought in the normal way through Supplementary Estimates.
	Costs are not incurred on a regular monthly basis and force levels have fluctuated considerably during 2003–04. As a result, to attempt to provide monthly average costs would be misleading.

Suez Canal (Medals)

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he plans to issue qualification criteria for the medal for service in the Suez Canal Zone; how long the distribution of medals will take; and what factors underlie this timetable;
	(2)  what measures he is taking to try to ensure that Suez Canal Zone veterans receive their medals before this year's Remembrance Day service;
	(3)  what measures he will take to minimise the number of veterans who lose their eligibility to the Suez Canal Zone medal because of the lack of detail in service records of the 1950s.

Ivor Caplin: Final approval of the Suez Medal is now awaited. As soon as that occurs I will make a statement to the House. Prior to that officials are carrying out preparatory work on the applications already received, and aim to issue medals to eligible veterans as soon as practicable.
	It is hoped that everyone who served in the Suez Canal Zone for the requisite number of days, within the designated dates and geographical boundaries which are in the process of being agreed, will receive a medal and/or clasp. However, on some individual Service records it might be more difficult to confirm eligibility from the limited information. In such cases, the files will be cross-referenced against the detailed Service records and maps that have been prepared by officials from contemporary historical documents. These will help to determine which Units, ships, regiments, squadrons etc. were deployed in the Canal Zone during the period specified in the White Paper. In rare cases where the evidence is insufficient to confirm eligibility for the medal, the medal offices may have to invite veterans to supply additional proof of entitlement in the form of contemporary official documentation, but it is hoped that this will not be necessary, I expect most veterans to receive their medals during the course of next year.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

14 to 19 Curriculum

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on working with (a) Sea Cadets, (b) Army Cadets and (c) Air Training Corps in the provision of greater curriculum flexibility for 14 to 19 year olds.

David Miliband: Our policy document, 14 to 19: Opportunity and Excellence sets out how we intend to ensure that young people are offered greater choice, coherence and quality in their programmes. We explained that all 14 to 19 year olds should be involved in wider activities and experience beyond the curriculum which can enrich learning, while developing practical skills and interests. Participation in the Sea and Army Cadets and the Air Training Corps is one positive form of such participation.

14 to 19 Curriculum

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the pilot schemes for greater flexibility in the 14 to 19 curriculum.

David Miliband: The 14 to 19 pathfinders, which are testing, among other things, greater curriculum flexibility and choice, are currently being evaluated. We plan to publish the outcomes in January 2004. In addition, the 'Increased Flexibility for 14 to 16 year olds' Programme has provided new vocational and work-related learning opportunities for this age group, including provision of the new GCSEs in vocational subjects. This Programme too is being evaluated and the findings are due to be published early in 2004.
	In the meantime, we intend to amend the National Curriculum at Key Stage 4 to give schools greater flexibility in responding to the needs of their pupils. The Working Group on 14 to 19 Reform has been asked to consider how there might be greater coherence in learning programmes for young people throughout their 14 to 19 education.

14 to 19 Curriculum

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funds were allocated to (a) schools, (b) futher education colleges and (c) other providers in connection with pilot schemes for greater flexibility in the 14 to 19 curriculum in 2003–04.

David Miliband: The information is not available in the form requested. In the academic year 2003/04, £16 million has been allocated to the 14–19 pathfinders which are testing, among other things, greater curriculum flexibility and choice.
	All the 14–19 pathfinders involve partnership and collaboration among a variety of different institutions and providers including schools, colleges, training providers, employers and higher education institutions. Funding is allocated and monitored at partnership level through the pathfinder lead body, which may be, for example, the local education authority, Local Learning and Skills Council, a school or an FE college.
	The 'Increased Flexibility for 14–16 year olds' Programme is also providing new vocational and work-related learning opportunities for this age group, including provision of the new vocational GCSEs. During 2003–04, this Programme is providing £38.3 million via the Learning and Skills Council to the lead partners, which are mainly FE colleges, to support provision in schools and colleges.
	We also expect schools and FE colleges to use their mainstream funding to provide greater curriculum flexibility.

Access Agreements

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when it will be possible to approve access agreements for higher education institutions for incorporation in their prospectus for potential students; and what assessment he has made of the implications for a student who is accepted for entry by a higher education institution of cases where (a) an access agreement has not been concluded and (b) an access agreement has been reached and promulgated but is subsequently modified.

Alan Johnson: We expect the Office for Fair Access to approve access agreements in time for universities to inform prospective students' applications to higher education. We therefore expect agreements to be in place before students are accepted for places and would not expect the agreement to change in respect of a students already committed to a course once it has been approved.

Class Sizes (Suffolk)

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size is in Suffolk schools for (a) 5, (b) 6, (c) 7, (d) 8, (e) 9, (f) 10 and (g) 11-year-olds in each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: Average class size by national curriculum year group (first collected in 1998) is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary schools(36): average class size taught by one teacher by year group(37) Position in January each year—Suffolk Local Education Authority
		
			  National curriculum year group 
			  1 2 3 4 5 6 
		
		
			 1998 26.1 26.5 27.3 27.1 26.2 25.7 
			 1999 26.6 26.1 26.5 26.9 26.6 27.4 
			 2000 26.0 26.4 27.0 27.0 26.5 26.2 
			 2001 25.4 25.8 26.6 26.8 27.3 26.0 
			 2002 24.9 25.4 26.5 26.7 27.4 26.7 
			 2003 25.8 25.4 26.7 26.8 26.3 26.1 
		
	
	(36) Includes middle deemed primary schools.
	(37) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.

Education Spending

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent per primary school pupil, using figures adjusted for inflation, in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk, (c) Essex, (d) Cambridgeshire and (e) the UK in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The information requested is only available from 1999–2000 onwards. Due to changes in the school funding system, it is not possible to provide corresponding figures for previous years. My Department collects data for schools in England only. The information available is contained in the following table:
	
		Expenditure per primary school pupil
		
			 LEA name 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Cambridgeshire 2,247 2,413 2,561 
			 Essex 2,280 2,519 2,678 
			 Norfolk 2,275 2,489 2,792 
			 Suffolk 2,447 2,634 2,803 
			 England 2,402 2,572 2,781 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures calculated using Net Current Expenditure (after recharges) which includes expenditure within schools and also that incurred centrally by the LEA's.
	2. Real terms figures used are adjusted to 2002–03 prices using 27 June 2003 GDP deflators.
	3. Figures are as reported by the LEA.
	4. Financial data is drawn from the DfES Section 52 outturn statements.
	5. Pupil data are drawn from the Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.

Education Standards

Mike Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) boys and (b) girls reached the required standards in (i) English and (ii) maths at key stage (A) 1, (B) 2, (C) 3 and (D) 4 in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority, using value added data.

David Miliband: The information requested in this question has been placed in the Library in answer to PQ127922.
	The tables show, for each local education authority, the number of boys and girls in maintained schools who achieved the expected level in each year from 1997 to 2002. The figures shown are based on:
	Pupils achieving level 2 or above at Key Stage 1 in reading and in maths
	Pupils achieving level 4 or above at Key Stage 2 in English and in maths
	Pupils achieving level 5 or above at Key Stage 3 in English and in maths
	Pupils achieving good grades (A*—C) at GCSE in English and in maths.

Educational Maintenance Allowance

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the progress of the pilot schemes on the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme.

Alan Johnson: An independent evaluation of EMAs has been taking place since 1999. Evidence from the second year of the pilots, which was published in July 2002, shows that EMAs have increased the number of eligible young people in full time education in year 12 in pilot areas by 5.9 percentage points compared to local authority areas without EMAs. The EMA scheme will be available across the whole of England from 2004 and the pilot scheme will continue until then.
	Evaluation of the pilots has also provided information on which features of the different variants are most effective. This has informed development of the national model.

EU Enlargement

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many full-time students in British higher education came from countries which are (a) about to be admitted to the EU and (b) in the European Economic Area, in the last year for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the likely loss of income to higher education institutions from fees revision when enlargement takes place.

Alan Johnson: In 2001/02, 3,258 full-time undergraduate students in British higher education came from countries which are about to be admitted to the EU, and 55,356 came from the European Economic Area.
	Assuming that international students would pay an average fee of upwards of £6,500 in 2004/05, then the likely loss of income to higher education institutions from those students admitted to the EU would be at least £17 million. Students studying in England would become eligible for funding from HEFCE; the amount depending on the course of study.

European Higher Education Reform

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the conclusion of the Berlin Conference on the Bologna Process for higher education institutions, held in September 2003.

Alan Johnson: The Government welcome the outcomes of the recent Berlin ministerial meeting on the Bologna process of European higher education reform. The process of reform will make it increasingly easy for students and researchers to gain the social and educational benefits from studying in another European country. In Berlin, Education Ministers set clear goals for 2005 on making progress across Europe on degree structures, on credit systems and on quality assurance. This will ensure that there is no danger of the process of reform slowing down.
	In addition, another seven countries joined the Bologna process in Berlin. This raises to 40 the total number of countries committed to working together to build a successful and attractive European higher education area by the end of the decade, an important plank of the Lisbon agenda on competitiveness.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on food by his Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: In 2001–02 DfES recorded expenditure of £448,893 on hospitality and £71,829 on contract payments. The figures for 2002–03 were £531,494 and £19,487 respectively. Expenditure on food in DfES is generally limited to official hospitality and canteen subsidies/contract payments. Records of spend on food provided at external conferences and like events are not kept centrally and so have not been included. Unfortunately, we are unable to breakdown this expenditure further. Our service provider is encouraged to purchase fresh UK produce wherever possible. Guidance produced by Defra on "Integrating Sustainable Development into Public Procurement of Food and Catering" has been issued to our service provider and associated action plan completed.

GCSE Pass Marks

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of changes in GCSE examination pass-marks in the last (a) five and (b) 10 years.

David Miliband: QCA as the statutory regulator for public examinations has responsibility for the maintenance of standards. The Chief Executive of QCA will write to the hon. Member providing details of the assessments the Authority has made.

Learning and Skills Councils

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the impact of Reshaping in the Learning and Skills Councils on the delivery of the organisations functions.

Alan Johnson: The Learning and Skills Council is undertaking a reshaping exercise which is designed to build on its existing strengths to enhance its capacity to work with partners to develop and to implement the strategies necessary to achieve national targets for skills and learning, while streamlining routine administrative arrangements. The reshaping programme will not damage the LSC's ability to deliver. It will improve the organisation's overall efficiency and effectiveness. The reshaping programme is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, and I have therefore asked Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, to write to my hon. Friend with further information. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Learning and Skills Councils

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much he estimates will be saved by the exercise Reshaping in the Learning and Skills Councils;
	(2)  how many staff he estimates will leave their posts as a result of the exercise Reshaping in the Learning and Skills Councils;
	(3)  what the timetable is for the completion of the exercise Reshaping in the Learning and Skills Councils.

Alan Johnson: These are matters for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to my hon. friend with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Non-EU Students

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the 50 further education colleges with the lowest percentage of non-European Union students successfully completing their courses, giving (a) the percentage for each institution and (b) the number of non-EU students at each institution in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not available. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) only publish success, retention and achievement rates for those learners funded by the council in further education colleges and external institutions in England. However, the majority of learners from countries outside of the European Union are not funded by the LSC—so figures are not available.
	Furthermore, the LSC do not publish further education institution success, retention and achievement rates based on less than 500 learners as they can be misleading. In 2001/02, less than 15 further education institutions in England had more than 500 LSC funded non-European Union students.

Physical Education

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list for each school in Shrewsbury and Atcham the average number of hours for which schoolchildren undertake physical education.

Stephen Twigg: This information is not currently held in the format requested and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Physical Education

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of schools provide a minimum of two hours physical education per week for school children.

Stephen Twigg: The Government are investing more than £1 billion in England to transform physical education (PE) and school sport. This funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared by DfES and DCMS, to increase the percentage of school children who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006. Currently, about a quarter of schools provide this entitlement at key stage 1, two-fifths at key stage 2 and a third at key stages 3 and 4.

School Catering

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in Shrewsbury and Atcham allow the sale of drinks with a high added sugar content to schoolchildren.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills does not collect this information.

School Curriculum (Music and Dance)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is towards including the promotion of English folk songs and English folk dances in the school curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We believe that a broad range of high quality music and dance experiences should be available to all our young people, whatever their background and wherever they live.
	Opportunities for pupils to sing, dance and make music from a range of times, places and cultures are firmly embedded within the National Curricula for Music and Physical Education. In England, we have a rich folk tradition which teachers can draw upon. However, it is for the individual teacher to select their repertoire, based on their own professional judgement and expertise.

School Funding

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on school funding in (a) York and (b) North Yorkshire.

David Miliband: Between 1997–98 and 2003–04, North Yorkshire's total funding per pupil has increased in cash terms from 2,340 to 3,460 an increase of 48 per cent. York's funding has increased from £2,290 to £3,290, an increase of 44 per cent.

School Opening Hours

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the implications for parental choice for schools of the announcement of proposals to stagger the school day; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: School governing bodies will continue to set school opening hours to suit the circumstances of parents and pupils at their school. The recent publication "Travelling to School: an action plan" encourages school to work with their local authority and transport providers to consider whether staggered school opening hours can allow pupils to access a wider range of school based activities, cut costs and improve services by allowing the same number of buses to provide a service to many more pupils. Decisions on school session times are and will remain a matter for individual schools. If schools in their local area adopt different times, parents with reasons to prefer one school's opening hours to another's will no doubt take this into account in choosing a school.

Skills Gap (Suffolk)

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the skills gap in the Suffolk work force aged over 16 years old.

Ivan Lewis: My Department measures skills gaps in the Employers Skills Survey. The 2001 survey indicated that 8 per cent. of establishments in Suffolk reported skills gaps within their current work force. This was slightly above the England average of 7 per cent.
	Up to date information will be available through the LSC National Employers Skill Survey which will provide assessments of skills gaps in the current work force for individual LSC areas. It will be available in December 2003.

Teacher Redundancies

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school teachers have been made redundant in each local education authority in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: Statistical First Release 23/2003, released on 9 September, provides teacher numbers at regional and LEA level for each year since 1997. Provisional national and regional figures for January 2004 are due to be published next April. Definitive statistics on teacher redundancies are not collected centrally.

University Tuition Fees

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was paid in tuition fees for higher education in UK universities by citizens of British Overseas territories in each of the last five years, broken down by territory; and what proportion of the fees were (a) reimbursed by the government of that territory and (b) borne by the individual.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not collected centrally.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC Licence Fee

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on the future of the BBC television licence.

Estelle Morris: Representations on the future of the television licence fee are not recorded separately from other representations about television licensing received by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In the year from April 2002 to March 2003, the Department received 268 letters from Members of Parliament and 527 letters from members of the public about all aspects of television licensing.
	The forthcoming review of the BBC's Royal Charter will include public consultation on the Corporation's funding arrangements.

Call Centres

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department plans to outsource call centre work to premises outside the United Kingdom.

Richard Caborn: DCMS is not an organisation that operates a call centre.

Cinemas (Sub-titling and Audio Description)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 September, Official Report, column 520W, on subtitled films, what steps her Department is taking to ensure initiatives are introduced to supply cinemas in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland with subtitling and audio-description equipment to improve access to cinemas by people with hearing and sight impairments.

Estelle Morris: The UK Film Council, the Government's strategic adviser for film, is in discussion with the national screen agencies, the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission, Scottish Screen and Sgrin Cymru Wales about improving access to cinemas for people with hearing and sight impairments. I am writing to the devolved Administrations to express my support for this very valuable initiative.

Community Sports Coaches

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her answer of 19 June, Official Report, column 343W, on community sports coaches, what the current Budget allocation for the community sports coaches schemes is; and whether it is sufficient to meet the target of 3000 coaches by 2006.

Richard Caborn: Of the £28 million that DCMS is investing to implement the key recommendations of the Coaching Task Force, the Community Sports Coach scheme has been allocated a total of £16.1 million: £0.5 million in 2003–04, £5.0 million in 2004–05 and £10.6 million in 2005–06.
	This is sufficient for 3,000 full-and part-time community sports coaches by 2006. I have today written to my hon. Friend with more detail about progress with the scheme. I am arranging for copies of the letter to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Consultancy Contracts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many consultancies were commissioned by her Department in the last two years for which figures are available; and what the cost of those contracts was.

Richard Caborn: In 2001–02 11 contracts were awarded at a cost of £323,820, while in 2002–03 16 contracts were awarded at a cost of £693,000.

Digital Curriculum

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the BBC on the delay in announcing its outline plan for the digital curriculum;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the timetable for the BBC's (a) announcement of an outline plan regarding and (b) launch of the digital curriculum;
	(3)  what discussions she has had with the BBC on the content of its outline plan for the digital curriculum, with particular reference to the commissioning of content from the independent production sector.

Estelle Morris: The conditions on the approval of the Digital Curriculum require the BBC to publish a five-year commissioning plan, no less than 15 months before the launch of the service. The European Commission announced on 1 October 2003 that the Digital Curriculum was compatible with European state aid rules. The BBC is therefore now able to pursue its work on the service, and has announced that it intends to launch the full service in 2006, following a series of pilot projects. In accordance with the conditions, half of all content will be commissioned from external producers.

English Folk Songs /Dance

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what her policy is towards promoting English folk songs and English folk dances; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what action she (a) has taken since 1997 and (b) plans to take in future years to promote English folk songs and English folk dances; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recognises the particular contribution of folk arts to rural life regeneration and cultural tourism. In March 2003, Arts Council England announced increases in core funding to contemporary music, including folk music, of £1.7 million. This included an increase of over £100,000 to Folk Arts England to support the development of a dynamic English folk music sector.
	Arts Council funding for the Colchester Arts Centre, which provides a diverse programme of folk music will also rise over the next three years by 16.5 per cent. to £104,000.

Football Grounds (Standing Areas)

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made as to the safety implications of introducing small sections of standing areas at football grounds.

Richard Caborn: The Government's position on standing at football grounds has not changed. Whatever their size, standing terraces are implicitly more dangerous to spectators than seated areas. As such, there are no plans to revise the all seater policy, which applies to all Premier and First Division grounds.
	I have made it clear to those who seek changes to that policy that it will remain in place unless or until compelling technical evidence is produced that it is no longer necessary. My officials regularly discuss the Government's position on this issue with the Football Supporters' Federation and other interested parties. No technical evidence in favour of the re-introduction of standing areas has been produced to date.

Grade I Listed Buildings

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make list the Grade I listed buildings in England which are classified as at risk; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: 288 Grade I listed buildings are included in English Heritage's Buildings at Risk Register 2003, which was published on 18 July, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The Register is also available as a database on English Heritage's website: www.english-heritage.org.uk/bar

Iraq (Heritage/Conservation)

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her support for training conservation and heritage professionals in Iraq since 15 September.

Tessa Jowell: The Government are committed to supporting the Iraqi people in securing the long-term well being of Iraqi collections and antiquities. We believe that the most sustainable way of achieving this is to ensure that the museums have Iraqi conservators, curators and restorers who have the necessary and up-to-date skills to look after the collections. The British Museum, English Heritage and other organisations funded through my Department are consequently providing initially six secondment scholarships to help train Iraqi Board of Antiquities staff in the skills which the board most urgently needs. A number of staff have already been identified who will come to the UK to undertake secondments in the British Museum as soon as possible. In addition, my Department has compiled a database of offers for help and support by a number of UK-based heritage bodies and will match these offers with future needs identified by the Board of Antiquities.

Irish Art/Culture/Sport

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department has given to the promotion of Irish art, culture and sport in this country since 2001.

Estelle Morris: DCMS does not directly support the promotion of Irish art, culture and sport. This is a matter for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Arts Council (Republic of Ireland), the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and the Irish Sports Council. However, art organisations, whose work incorporates Irish art and culture, have received grants from our sponsored body for the arts in England, Arts Council England.

Licensing Act 2003

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department will publish details of the (a) fees that will be charged under the Licensing Act 2003 and (b) subordinate legislation under the Act explaining (i) the prescribed forms of application and (ii) the building plans that will be required.

Richard Caborn: The Government intend to introduce all of the secondary legislation that will be required for transition to the new licensing regime, including that on fees, forms and plans, as soon as possible.

Sports Facilities (Modernisation)

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on how the money earmarked in the Budget statement for a pilot scheme of capital modernisation of sports facilities has been spent.

Richard Caborn: This is not a pilot scheme. The Government are making £60 million available to 16 governing bodies for capital work at affiliated amateur sports clubs over the period 2003–04 to 2005–06. £20 million of this is coming from the Capital Modernisation Fund, as announced earlier this year.
	This money is being made available to governing bodies to make a real difference to community sport. Each will submit a strategy document before the end of October 2003, detailing how the money will be used, and building work on new and improved facilities is expected to begin in April 2004.

Terrestrial Television

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the number of households that will not be able to access terrestrial television following the decision to stop the free to air access on Sky television in (a) the UK, (b) Suffolk, (c) Bury St. Edmunds constituency, (d) Norfolk, (e) Cambridgeshire and (f) Essex.

Estelle Morris: Estimates of terrestrial television coverage are not available in the requested form. The estimated coverage of analogue terrestrial television services is 99.4 per cent. of the UK and currently 73.1 per cent. of UK households can receive Freeview's services via digital terrestrial television. Information about analogue coverage and digital terrestrial coverage based on post code, can be obtained from the BBC and the Independent Television Commission. BBC services on digital satellite can be viewed free-to-air without the need for a viewing card. ITV, Channel 4 and Five are now considering a scheme to enable viewers to continue receiving these services, with a viewing card.

Tyntesfield Estate

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her Answer of 26 June 2003, Official Report, column 212W, on the Tyntesfield Estate, what the level of the further grant award which has been agreed in principle by the Heritage Lottery Fund to be made to Tyntesfield is; and whether that grant has been made.

Richard Caborn: The level of award which has been agreed in principle for Tyntsfield by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is £20 million. The grant will be awarded subject to the receipt and favourable assessment of a fully worked up application which meets HLF's priorities. The National Trust is currently working up this application in accordance with standard HLF procedures. The application is expected to be submitted to the HLF in December this year.

US Embassy (11 September)

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements she made for (a) access by US citizens to the US Embassy and (b) access to Grosvenor Square by members of the public offering their condolences on 11 September when the Square was closed.

Tessa Jowell: My Department liaised closely with the US Embassy throughout the organisation of this event and access to the Embassy was available on 11 September 2003. The opening of the garden was a ticket-only event for the families of the UK victims. It would not have been appropriate to allow other members of the public to participate in this very private moment. Furthermore, permitting members of the public to access the site on the day of the event would have compromised the extremely tight security which was required for such a high profile event.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Leader of the House on how many occasions in financial year 2002–03 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; which places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

Peter Hain: My special advisers made no trips abroad in an official capacity in 2002–03.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Leader of the House what the total cost was of special advisers to his office in financial year 2002–03, broken down by (a) salary and related expenses and (b) other costs.

Peter Hain: The information requested is set out in the table and covers the period of my right hon. Friend the Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) when he was President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons.
	
		£
		
			 Salaries Other costs 
		
		
			 115,450.50 281.55

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Assaults (Minicab Drivers)

Linda Perham: To ask the Minister for Women what recent representations she has received on assaults committed against women by illegal mini-cab drivers; and when she will next discuss such assaults with the Secretary of State for Transport.

Patricia Hewitt: I have not received any representations recently on this subject and have no plans to raise it with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. However, the Government are committed to reducing crime and the fear of crime wherever it occurs in the transport system.
	The Government are fully aware that many people (particularly women) are concerned about using public transport, especially at night. We are working with transport operators, local authorities, the police and others to improve personal security for both pedestrians and public transport passengers.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Employment Tribunal Appeals

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General what the average wait before an appeal is heard against the decision of an Employment Tribunal has been in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	For appeals received in the last 12 months ending August 2003 the average time between receipt of the appeal and first hearing was four months.
	Presently, appeals are on average being listed for a hearing within three months.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Approved Development Programme Funding

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 17 September (129309), if he will give his reasons as to why Approved Development Programme funding is not available for local authorities.

Keith Hill: The Approved Development Programme is the main source of public subsidy supporting the development of social and keyworker housing by registered social landlords (RSLs). Resources for the Programme are limited and not all RSLs are successful in obtaining a share.
	Local authorities have an enhanced strategic housing role and they have access to revenue and capital resources separate from the Approved Development Programme to address local housing needs.

Consultation Documents

John Barrett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the consultation documents issued by his Department in each of the last four years; what the cost was of producing each of these; how many documents were issued in each consultation; and how many responses were received in each consultation.

Yvette Cooper: The Government recommend that policy development should be done in close consultation with stakeholders. Formal consultation documents are one part of this process, which can also include:
	Stakeholder meetings
	Listening events/public meetings
	Web forums
	Public surveys
	Focus groups
	Regional events
	Free-phone and freepost surveys and events
	Targeted leaflet campaigns
	Road shows and exhibitions.
	It is standard practice for Departments to evaluate the policy development process, including the use of consultation. The specific information requested is not collated on a central basis and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, details of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's recent consultation exercises are available at www.ODPM.gov.uk.

Criminal Records Bureau (Fees)

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the financial impact of recent Criminal Records Bureau fee increases on education and social care budgets in local government.

Nick Raynsford: Responsibility for paying the fee for a criminal record Disclosure rests with the individual applicant, although it is open to the employer to reimburse the cost. A Regulatory Impact Assessment, which assesses the impact of the fee increase across all sectors, is available in the Library of the House.
	It has always been the intention that the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) should be self-financed by means of the charges that it makes of those using the service, and that the cost of the service should not be a drain on the Exchequer. That remains the objective.
	However, in the short term, the costs of the CRB will continue to be met by a combination of fee receipts and contributions from the Home Office (HO), the Department of Health (DH) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). In 2003–04 the HO will contribute £4 million and DH and DfES a further £7.4 million each.

Empty Housing

Peter Pike: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which 20 local authority areas have the highest percentage of empty housing; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Information relating to the number of empty housing is reported annually by local authorities on their Housing Investment Programme returns. The latest available data for the 20 local authority areas that have the highest percentage of empty housing are reported at 1 April 2002 and contained in the following table.
	
		Vacants as percentage of stock at 1 April 2002
		
			Vacants 
			 Local authority Region Total dwelling stock Total As percentage of stock 
		
		
			 South Hams SW 40,600 4,900 12 
			 Burnley NW 40,600 3,400 8 
			 Kingston upon Hull YH 115,200 8,800 8 
			 Hastings SE 40,800 3,400 8 
			 Blackburn with Darwen NW 58,400 4,000 7 
			 Hyndburn NW 35,700 2,500 7 
			 Liverpool NW 206,500 15,400 7 
			 Manchester NW 194,900 13,700 7 
			 Salford NW 100,800 6,800 7 
			 Richmondshire YH 20,700 1,500 7 
			 Kensington and Chelsea L 88,300 6,300 7 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne NE 120,700 7,300 6 
			 Wear Valley NE 28,500 1,700 6 
			 Preston NW 57,200 3,500 6 
			 Calderdale YH 88,400 5,400 6 
			 Scarborough YH 52,400 3,300 6 
			 West Lindsey EM 35,900 2,200 6 
			 Great Yarmouth E 43,600 2,700 6 
			 Tendring E 64,200 3,800 6 
			 Shepway SE 52,100 3,400 6 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures rounded to nearest hundred.
	Source:
	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister HIP Returns.

Departmental Advertising

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total expenditure on advertising by the Department was in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and what the level of planned expenditure is for (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. The total expenditure on advertising by the Office in (b) 2002–03 was 3,346,943. The majority of this advertising spend was on the Fire Safety Campaign. The level of planned expenditure for (i) 2003–04 is £3 million; and for (ii) 2004–05 is £3.3 million. The majority of this advertising spend will also be on the ongoing Fire Safety campaign.

Fire Service Pensions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to reform fire service pensions in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced in the White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service", published on 30 June, our plans for changes to the pension arrangements for firelighters. As a first step, on 17 July a document, for consultation, detailing our proposals to amend the existing Firefighters' Pension Scheme was published.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also planning to introduce a new scheme more suited to the service of the future as well as pension arrangements for retained firefighters. We will consult fully on our proposals in due course.

Gross Credit Approvals

David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's expenditure limits for total gross credit approvals are for the 2003–04 financial year; and of those sums how much (a) has been committed, (b) is planned to be committed and (c) remains uncommitted.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's budget for credit approvals in 2003–04 is £1,227,062,000. Of this (a) £1,221,462,000 has been committed; (b) £5,600,000 is currently planned to be committed; and (c) none remains uncommitted.

Gross Credit Approvals

David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportions of his Department's expenditure limits for total gross credit approvals for financial year 2002–03 were unused in that year.

Yvette Cooper: Six per cent. of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's budget for gross credit approvals in 2002–03 remained unused at the end of the financial year although end year flexibility arrangements allow unspent budgets to be carried forward from one year to the next.

Homeless People

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless families there are in the UK.

Yvette Cooper: Information on local authorities' activities under homelessness provisions in England is published in a quarterly Statistical Release, "Statutory Homelessness: England". Table 3 of the Statistical Release presents a summary of those households accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need under the homelessness provisions of the 1996 Housing Act. Tables 6 and 7 summarise the number of homeless households in accommodation arranged by local authorities on the last day of the quarter.
	Copies of the Statistical Release are available in the Library of the House and the latest edition, published on 10 September, presents statistics up to and including the second quarter of 2003. In the period April to June 2003, local authorities accepted 36,230 households as homelessness, and as at 30 June 2003 there were 93,480 households in accommodation arranged by local authorities under homelessness provisions of Housing Acts.
	For information about other parts of the United Kingdom, I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
	The March 2002 report, 'More than a roof', set out the Government's approach to tackling and preventing homelessness. Specific measures included investment of £125 million in 2002–03 to support local authorities and voluntary agencies working with them to support new approaches to tackling and preventing homelessness. The Homelessness Directorate within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has a revenue budget of £70 million and a £23.5 million capital budget for 2003–04. These resources will help to support the Government's commitment that by March 2004 no homeless family with children should be placed in a bed and breakfast hotel other than in an emergency, and even then for no more than six weeks.
	Funding will also support new approaches that help people tackle the problems that are making and keeping them homeless and help to sustain the Prime Minister's target to reduce rough sleeping by two thirds of 1998 levels.
	While the latest quarterly statistics show increases in homelessness acceptances and the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation, there has been a significant reduction in the number of homeless families with children placed in bed and breakfast accommodation. The number of such families has fallen by 22 per cent. over the last quarter and 44 per cent. compared with a year ago. In addition, the latest rough sleeping figures for England, also published on 10 September, estimate that 504 people were sleeping rough on any one night—the lowest ever recorded level.
	The rising trend in homelessness is the result of numerous complex factors, many of which are outlined in "More than a roof". In addition, the Priority Needs Order has extended the criteria by which people are assessed to have a priority need if they are homeless.
	The Homelessness Act 2002 placed a duty on local authorities to have a strategy in place by the end of July 2003 to tackle and prevent homelessness, based on a review of homelessness in their district. While the number of homelessness acceptances is likely to continue to increase in the short term, improved housing supply and increased investment in prevention should lead to reductions in the longer term.

Housing Renewal Pathfinder Project

Peter Pike: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the progress of each Housing Renewal Pathfinder Project; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: On 6 October 2003 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced the allocation of £125 million to the Manchester Salford pathfinder over the next two and a half years for the implementation of its scheme (Official Report, column 16W). The Newcastle Gateshead pathfinder has submitted its scheme and it is being assessed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and by the Audit Commission who are independently scrutinising each of the pathfinder schemes. We will announce the outcome of the negotiations on the scheme once they are complete.
	On present plans we expect to have agreed the remaining schemes by the end of March 2004, with the exception of the Hull and East Riding pathfinder which received its pathfinder status on 9 September 2003 and which expects to submit its scheme to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by October 2004.

IT Projects

John Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what major IT projects with a value in excess of £10,000 he authorised expenditure on in each of the last three financial years.

Yvette Cooper: Since its creation, the Office has approved a number of major IT projects jointly with the Department for Transport in the 2002–03 financial year, consequently there may be some overlaps between the two departments. These projects have been identified separately in the following list.
	2002–03: ODPM Centre—joint projects with DfT
	Next Generation Website
	DfT/ODPM Intranet Strategic IT Enhancement
	Windows XP Migration
	Personnel Improving Services and Modernisation
	BS7799
	Data Communications Service
	Corporate Information Infrastructure
	Corporate Intranet
	ETHOS End-to-End Performance Monitoring
	GSI Upgrade
	PC Replacement
	Remote Access Upgrade
	Single Sign On Implementation
	2002–03: ODPM Centre—ODPM-only projects
	GOSAP financial systems for Government Offices
	BVPI website upgrade and e-survey

Market Testing

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Research and Development

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Government is doing to encourage research and development in the North East.

Yvette Cooper: The Government are committed to encouraging investment in research and development throughout the United Kingdom. Last year, the Government allocated the largest sustained increase in the Science Budget for more than a decade; total science spending by 2005–06 will be £1¼ billion higher than in 2002–03.
	To encourage commercial investment in Research and Development, the Government have a range of policies including the new Grant for Research and Development, Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) and Research and Development tax credits to encourage companies in the North East to invest in new technologies.
	Research funding for the region's five universities was £19.7 million in 2000–01 which represents 0.7 per cent. of the region's GDP.
	The Government also fund ONE North East, the regional development agency. They have put in place a "Strategy for Success" which, with the support of the regional Science and Industry Council will be investing very significant amounts of Government and European funding in to the Research and Development of key emerging technologies via newly established centres of excellence. ONE North East is investing £60 million in supporting regional science, engineering and technology, some £23 per head of population, above the national average of around £5 per head.

Research and Development

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Government has spent on research and development in (a) the North East, (b) each of the other regions and (c) the UK in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	Government research and development spending—both within higher education institutes and outside of higher education institutes—is tracked regionally through the ONS regional trend series. The most recent figures available—for 2001—are provided in Tables 1 and 2 as follows, together with figures for the years 1997–2000 inclusive.
	Table 1:
	
		Estimated GOR breakdown of expenditure on Intramural R&D performed within Government Establishments (GOVERD), 1997–2001 -- £ million
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 2,018 2,079 2,072 2,134 1,829 
			 North East 3 3 2 2 4 
			 North West and Merseyside 56 59 56 57 66 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 30 31 46 48 50 
			 East Midlands 53 51 56 56 68 
			 West Midlands 195 182 190 196 65 
			 Eastern 276 257 246 259 277 
			 London 184 202 229 258 238 
			 South East 753 700 644 635 515 
			 South West 259 330 299 307 254 
			 England 1,810 1,815 1,767 1,816 1,537 
			 Wales 20 51 60 65 49 
			 Scotland 175 201 231 238 226 
			 Northern Ireland 12 12 14 15. 16 
		
	
	Table 2:
	
		Estimated GOR breakdown of expenditure on Intramural R&D performed within Higher Education Institutions (HERD), 1997–2001 -- £ million
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 2,891 3,040 3,341 3,633 4,035 
			 North East 101 105 113 122 142 
			 North West and Merseyside 228 238 260 287 322 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 229 241 270 284 317 
			 East Midlands 151 159 182 204 224 
			 West Midlands 156 167 180 192 207 
			 Eastern 214 211 255 324 366 
			 London 729 775 837 895 980 
			 South East 434 460 493 515 562 
			 South West 129 138 148 160 178 
			 England 2,372 2,494 2,737 2,984 3,297 
			 Wales 111 113 129 139 155 
			 Scotland 357 375 411 440 510 
			 Northern Ireland 52 57 64 70 73

Sponsorship

Mark Oaten: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which of his Department's projects have received sponsorship in the last financial year; who the sponsor was in each case; what the nature of each project was; what time period was covered by each project; what the total cost of each project was; how much money was involved in each sponsorship deal; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Urban Summit was held on 31 October and 1 November 2002 at a net cost of £450,000 1 . English Heritage paid £4,000 to sponsor the drinks reception. English Partnerships sponsored the Urban Summit newspaper that was produced at the end of the first day at a cost of £5,250. Advantage West Midlands and the Birmingham and Solihull Connexions Services sponsored the Cyber Cafe at a total cost of £5,000. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not have any information on 'sponsorship' of the delegate dinners on the first night of the Summit as these were organised and paid for direct by the dinner hosts themselves: Advantage West Midlands, Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council, Birmingham Chamber with Business Link, Birmingham City Council, English Partnerships and West Midlands Local Government Association.
	The Fire Safety Campaign is designed to raise awareness of fire safety issues. In 2002–03, two campaigns were launched—The Fire Action Plan in September 2002 and Kitchen Safety in February 2003. In each case, around £750,000 in the form of in-kind support was provided by the sponsors/ Woolworths, Homebase, Argos, Currys, El Electronics, B&Q, Comet, Robert Dyas, Wickes, Energizer, Duracell, Fire Angel and Kidde Safety sponsored both campaigns and in addition the National Union of Students, Wilkinson's, Tefal and Morphy Richards sponsored the Kitchen Safety Campaign.
	1 Estimated net cost, after taking account of income from ticket sales, sponsorship and exhibition sales. This figure includes the cost of contractors, consultants and agency staff recruited to work on Summit organisation.

Travellers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make it his policy to give local authorities the power to seize the assets of travellers who camp illegally in order to recoup the cost of clearing sites on their departure; what guidance he gives to local authorities; what plans he has (a) to alter this advice and (b) to propose amendments to the law; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: There are no plans to give local authorities additional powers to seize the assets of illegally camped Gypsies and Travellers in order to recoup the cost of clearing sites. Local authorities if they choose to do so, are able to use their powers under Section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, to remove unauthorised campers from land.
	The police are also able to use their powers under Section 62 of the same Act to seize and remove any vehicles parked on illegal sites if a Section 61 Direction has already been served, and the owners have failed to remove them.

TRANSPORT

Air Travel Trust Fund

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the scope of the financial cover under the insolvency protection provisions of the Air Travel Trust Fund. [R]

Tony McNulty: Customers purchasing package travel including a flight are protected financially in the event of failure of the travel organiser concerned. Customers abroad at the time of failure will be repatriated at the end of their holiday, and those who have yet to travel will be fully reimbursed for what they have paid. Under the terms of the Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) Regulations 1995, in the event of failure of a licensed travel organiser the bond established with the Civil Aviation Authority would be used to cover the repatriation and reimbursement costs. If the bond is insufficient to meet these costs the Air Travel Trust Fund would be used to make up the difference.

Air Travel Trust Fund

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will bring forward legislation to change the scope of the financial protection of the Air Travel Trust Fund. [R]

Tony McNulty: The Government have no plans to change the scope of the financial protection provided by the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing scheme, backed up by the Air Travel Trust Fund.

Air Travel Trust Fund

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to extend financial protection to those booking accommodation through an on-line airline facility. [R]

Tony McNulty: Accommodation booked on the same on-line facility as that used for the purchase of an airline ticket is already covered by the provisions of the Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) Regulations 1995 and is therefore protected financially. If the accommodation is booked on a different website the two transactions are legally distinct, and the two transactions do not constitute a package for the purposes of Council Directive 90/314/EEC on package travel, package holidays and package tours. The Government have no plans to amend the ATOL Regulations to extend the financial protection to cover this type of purchase.

Air Travel Trust Fund

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of protection is extended under the Air Travel Trust Fund to those booking airline tickets and separate accommodation on the same website. [R]

Tony McNulty: A company offering both air travel and accommodation on the same website is obliged to have an ATOL licence, thereby financially protecting customers who buy a package. If flight and accommodation were booked separately there would be no financial protection for the accommodation; the flight, however, would be financially protected unless the vendor issued the ticket within 24 hours of payment being made. If the flight and accommodation were linked, albeit booked separately, the vendor might recognise the linkage and issue a single invoice, thereby conferring financial protection on the resulting package.

Automotive Fuels

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce demand targets for LPG as a road fuel.

David Jamieson: The Chancellor announced in Budget 2003 that the Government would be consulting stakeholders on how best to ensure that future support for road fuel gases, including LPG, continued to reflect environmental and other policy objectives, with a view to announcing decisions on future duty rates and other forms of support in the 2003 pre-Budget report. A joint Department for Transport, Treasury and Customs and Excise consultation document "Road fuel gases and their contribution to clean low-carbon transport: Establishing a consistent and durable framework of Government support" discussed the issues and invited comments by 17 September. The Government are now considering the responses received.

Automotive Fuels

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles in the United Kingdom were propelled by (a) LPG, (b) CNG, (c) LNG and (d) hydrogen in the last year for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: DVLA statistics do not provide a breakdown by fuel type, only vehicles that are dedicated gas or petrol/gas combinations. DVLA statistics also do not distinguish between Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Natural Gas vehicles and hydrogen vehicles. Statistics from the DVLA for June 2003 show that there are 41,361 vehicles running on road fuel gases (Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and Hydrogen).
	But this understates the number of vehicles because not all conversions to alternative fuelling are notified to DVLA. Industry sources suggest there are around 100,000 vehicles currently running on LPG, around 850 on natural gas (CNG and LNG) and there are presently only a few prototype/demonstration vehicles in UK running on hydrogen.

Automotive Fuels

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many automotive refuelling points there were in the United Kingdom for (a) LPG, (b) CNG, (c) LNG and (d) hydrogen in the last year for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: Information supplied by the Energy Saving Trust show that there are currently around 1,300 LPG, 19 CNG and 7 LNG refuelling sites in the UK. There are currently no public access hydrogen refuelling points. However, a refuelling point will be available to support the Clean Urban Transport for Europe (CUTE) hydrogen fuel cell bus project.

Balloons

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects of introducing a domestic airworthiness standard for tethered balloons for passenger transport in advance of the introduction of a European standard, with particular reference to the effects on UK manufacturers of balloons;
	(2)  what options are open to manufacturers of tethered balloons for passenger transport to attain certification.
	(3)  when he first received reports that, under single market provision, a certification of airworthiness would be required for tethered balloons for passenger transport.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 29 September 2003, Official Report, 6 October 2003 columns 1057–1060W.

Biofuels

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the funding necessary to enable the UK to meet the EU targets of (a) 2 per cent. biofuels by 2005 and (b) 5.75 per cent. by 2010.

David Jamieson: The EU's Biofuels Directive requires member states to set their own indicative targets for sales of biofuels to be met in the years 2005 and 2010. The Government will be consulting early next year on the level of targets that might be appropriate for the UK, and on the steps that we might take to meet them. In doing so, we will take full account of the likely costs and benefits to the UK, and of the level of Government support that might be necessary.

Biofuels

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds he has provided for the promotion and development of (a) sustainable liquid biofuels and (b) fossil gas fuels for road transport in the last three years.

David Jamieson: The Government have supported biofuels since July 2002 by means of a 20 pence per litre duty incentive which has resulted in sales of biodiesel increasing to over 2 million litres a month from virtually nothing before that date. Biodiesel is used mainly in a 5 per cent. blend with conventional diesel, and bio-blend fuel already represents some 2 per cent. of diesel sales. Vehicles do not need to be converted to run on 5 per cent. bio-blend diesel.
	In addition to this, the Government have funded a number of research projects into aspects of biofuels, including their emissions performance. The Government will be consulting early in 2004 on possible targets for biofuels sales in the UK and on how best to meet these targets.
	In the last three financial years, 2002–01 to 2002–03, the Energy Saving Trusts' TransportEnergy Powershift programme has provided grants of around £12.6 million for the purchase or conversion of vehicles to run on road fuel gases (natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas). The duty rate for the gases has since Budget 2001 been 9 pence per kilogramme. The Government have been consulting key stakeholders on how best to ensure that future support continues to reflect environmental and other policy objectives, with a view to announcing decisions in the 2003 pre-Budget report.

Coach Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice his Department has given to British coach drivers on adhering to French regulations on coach travel during coach accident memorial days.

Tony McNulty: The Department is aware that the French authorities place a restriction on coach travel during a weekend in late July or early August, annually. The date of the ban changes year-to-year, but during the 24-hour period of application, coach groups of more than 15 children under the age of 16 years are prohibited from travelling. The restrictions were originally put in place due to a number of serious coach accidents occurring at this time of year, which is traditionally the busiest weekend for transporting French children and heavy holiday traffic.
	The French authorities notify the British Embassy in Paris once the date of the ban is confirmed. They in turn pass this information to the UK trade association, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), for further dissemination amongst the UK coach industry. This information would also be available from the French Embassy and industry publications. Therefore, the Department does not pass this information to UK coach operators.

Correspondence

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Minister of State will reply to the letter of 10 September from the hon. Member for North Shropshire regarding Mr.Per Lindstrand of Lindstrand Balloons Ltd.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my letter to him on this subject of the 22 September 2003.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 15 September 2003, Official Report, columns 499–500W, on deep vein thrombosis, when the Aviation Health Unit will come in to existence; what its composition will be; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Aviation Health Unit, based at the Civil Aviation Authority's Gatwick offices and funded by this Department, will be a centre of expertise on health issues affecting air passengers and crew. The Civil Aviation Authority will announce the appointment of the Head of the Unit, and the start date of the Unit's work, shortly. The Head of the Unit will help determine its composition.

Derailment (King's Cross)

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the action to be taken as a result of the derailment of a train at King's Cross station on 16 September.

Tony McNulty: The derailment remains the subject of an on-going Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation. HSE's HM Railway Inspectorate is still gathering evidence to inform its decision about bringing any possible enforcement action.
	Network Rail has launched a formal investigation into the cause of the accident.

Disabled Parking Permits

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the level of crime associated with the theft of blue badge disabled parking permits; what steps his Department is taking to deal with such crime; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Vehicle crime is a matter that the Government continues to take very seriously and many initiatives are being taken forward to reduce levels of crime and theft in particular. Indeed, in recent years there has been a fall in such crime and we are on track to meet our target to reduce vehicle crime (thefts of and theft from vehicles) by 30% by March 2004.
	Theft of Blue Badges and abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme is of concern to the Department. These are issues that were considered during a recent comprehensive review of the Scheme, which concluded with 47 recommendations (including a number of enforcement measures) from our statutory advisers, the Disabled Persons' Transport Advisory Committee. These have been accepted by the Government and are being taken forward. The enforcement measures include an important power for the police, traffic wardens and local authority parking enforcement officers to inspect badges to check details and the photograph of the badge holder. We are also looking at the feasibility of establishing a national database of badge holders; the introduction of smartcard technology; increasing penalties for abuse and misuse of the Scheme.
	The power to inspect, and a number of other measures, will need to be introduced through primary legislation and we are looking for a suitable legislative opportunity to do so. We aim to implement the changes at the earliest opportunity.

Driving Licences

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which countries' passports (a) are and (b) are not accepted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency as proof of identity from individuals applying for a replacement driving licence; for what reasons the latter are not acceptable; what other form of documentation is acceptable to the DVLA; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: DVLA will consider passports from all countries in support of a driving licence applicant. In some cases, additional evidence of an applicant's identity may be required before a licence can be issued. A wide range of documents can be considered including birth certificates and appropriate papers issued by the Home Office. DVLA will not grant a driving licence until the identity of the applicant has been clearly established.

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for United Kingdom entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for United Kingdom entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary (PQ reference 131597), at column 142W.

Euro

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many official speeches he has made since June supporting entry into the euro.

Tony McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given today by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary (PQ reference 131748), at column 142W.

Flight Paths (Walthamstow)

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes have taken place in the last three years in the number of aircraft on flight paths above Walthamstow.

Tony McNulty: Records are not kept of the numbers of aircraft routed over Walthamstow. Approximately 20 to 25 per cent. of Heathrow arrivals overfly Walthamstow or adjoining areas. Aircraft inbound to London City overfly Walthamstow only occasionally.
	There are no Heathrow departure routes over Walthamstow. A London City departure route passes over the south of the area.

Flight Paths (Walthamstow)

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what altitude restrictions apply to aircraft on flight paths above Walthamstow; and how these have changed in the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The airspace over all of Walthamstow above 2,500 ft has been classified as 'controlled' for many years. Over the southernmost quarter of Walthamstow the airspace has been controlled to ground level since the opening of London City Airport. Aircraft using Heathrow and City operate within this controlled airspace. Aircraft inbound to Heathrow will normally be above 5,000 ft.
	Over the remainder of my hon. Friend's constituency below 2,500 ft, helicopters and general aviation aircraft from smaller aerodromes can determine routes and altitudes according to their particular requirements. Such flights are subject to the Rules of the Air Regulations, notably Rule 5, which means most will be above 1,500 ft.
	There have been no changes to the airspace over Walthamstow in the last five years.

Flight Paths (Walthamstow)

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for which airports (a) inbound and (b) outbound flight paths overfly Walthamstow; and how this has changed in the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is as follows.
	Inbound—There are no fixed paths over Walthamstow for arriving aircraft although they tend to follow a regular pattern that varies depending on wind direction and how busy Heathrow airport is at the time. Aircraft over-flying Walthamstow comprise mainly those descending from the Lambourne holding stack en route to the final approach to Heathrow, and occasionally aircraft inbound to London City. Exceptionally, aircraft inbound to Stansted may be routed over Walthamstow.
	Outbound—There are no Heathrow departure routes over Walthamstow, but air traffic controllers are permitted to use all controlled airspace, and so a small number of Heathrow departures may overfly Walthamstow above 4,000ft. Any London City departures over Walthamstow will normally be above 3,000ft. Aircraft departing from other south-east airports can be routed over the Walthamstow area, but will be at much higher altitudes and probably not be heard.
	There have been no changes to these airspace arrangements in the last three years.

Heathrow Airport

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what consultation his Department has undertaken with the Environment Agency on the risk of flooding in the Thames Valley resulting from the potential development of a third runway at Heathrow;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the development of (a) a third runway and (b) the fifth terminal at Heathrow airport on the risk of flooding in (i) the Thames Valley and (ii) the London borough of Hillingdon.

Tony McNulty: The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East consultation closed on 30 June 2003. We are currently analysing over 400,000 responses to the consultation. It would not be appropriate to comment on any of the responses while the analysis is being undertaken. However, all options considered in the South East and East of England Regional Air Services Study (SERAS), including the option for a third runway at Heathrow, were appraised for potential impacts on the water environment including any contributory risk to flooding.
	The appraisal system took account of national guidance including the Environment Agency's 1 in 100 year flood plain mapping and the Flood Estimation Handbook. The option for a third runway at Heathrow Airport was assessed as having a low adverse impact on flooding.
	There was a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment including flood risk for Terminal 5. The Secretary of State took account of the inspector's conclusions on environmental impacts in reaching his decisions in November 2001. The issue of the impact of the development on the Twin Rivers was unresolved at that time and a condition was imposed requiring BAA to secure planning permission for a scheme to address it. The London borough of Hillingdon has now granted permission for such a scheme.

Heathrow Airport

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of a third runway at Heathrow on flooding in the area;
	(2)  what assessment he has received from the Environment Agency on the flooding implications of building a third runway at Heathrow.

Tony McNulty: The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East consultation closed on 30 June 2003. We are currently analysing over 400,000 responses to the consultation. It would not be appropriate to comment on any of the responses while the analysis is being undertaken. However, I can confirm that all options considered in the South East and East of England Regional Air Services Study (SERAS), including the option for a third runway at Heathrow, were appraised for potential impacts on the water environment including any contributory risk to flooding.
	The appraisal system took account of national guidance including the Environment Agency's 1 in 100 year flood plain mapping and the Flood Estimation Handbook. The option for a third runway at Heathrow Airport was assessed as having a Low Adverse impact on flooding.

Horley Station

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of building a rail tunnel under Horley Station; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is responsible for promoting and securing the development of the rail network, including improvements to stations and infrastructure. The SRA has not made an estimate of the cost to public funds of building a tunnel under Horley Station and has no plans to carry out such works.

Maritime Transport Funding (Republic of Ireland)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made in renegotiating the funding contributed by the UK for navigational aids used solely by vessels using ports in the Republic of Ireland;
	(2)  what plans he has to end the Irish Light Dues subsidy.

David Jamieson: The UK is seeking to renegotiate the current agreement to require Ireland to meet the full costs of their aids to navigation. Discussions with FCO and Irish Government are ongoing but progress is slow.
	We are working with the General Lighthouse Authorities to review the future requirement of marine aids to navigation. The review will examine the provision of existing and future aids in Ireland and determine whether all existing aids are required.

Maritime Transport Funding (Republic of Ireland)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was contributed by the UK authorities for navigational aids in the Republic of Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Jamieson: The contribution of the General Lighthouse Fund to navigational aids in the Republic of Ireland in the last five years is assessed as follows:
	
		£000
		
			 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			  
			  
			 4350.5 5520.7 4597.9 473.6 4915.5

Maritime Transport Funding (Republic of Ireland)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much subsidy was paid by the UK Government for each vessel using ports in the Republic of Ireland, in the last year for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: We do not hold the information in the form requested in respect of the costs of providing aids to navigation for vessels using Republic of Ireland ports. Once a merchant vessel has paid light dues, there is no further liability for a period of one month from that date. Furthermore, no more than seven payments are required in any fiscal year. We therefore do not hold information on merchant vessel movements beyond the seven voyage limit. Neither do we hold records on fishing vessel or tug activity.

Maritime Transport Funding (Republic of Ireland)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he (a) last raised and (b) next intends to raise the issue of light dues with the Irish Government; what discussions his Department has had with the Irish Government over the last three years regarding light dues; and what representations he has received from the Irish Government on the reform of the light dues.

David Jamieson: In seeking to renegotiate the current funding agreement, light dues issues are discussed throughout the year with representatives of the Irish Government. No representations have been received on the reform of the light dues structure.

Rail Franchises

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements he has placed on the Strategic Rail Authority to consult passengers in determining which applicant is to be awarded the Greater Anglia Franchise.

Tony McNulty: As with all franchise competitions, the onus is on the bidders to consult local stakeholders. They are required to supply the Strategic Rail Authority with a summary of the consultation undertaken and how the outcome was included in their bid.

Royal Mail

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train paths were allocated to the Royal Mail in each week in the last year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: In the summer 2002 timetable 62 paths each weekday were allocated for Royal Mail services. Paths have been given up at various dates since then. As of 30 September 26 were still operative.

Royal Mail

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the mail trains and other facilities associated with the transport of mail by rail are to be mothballed following the decision of Royal Mail to send mail by road; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: That is a matter for the owners of the trains and facilities concerned.

School Hours

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills before 16 September on proposals to stagger the school day; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Secretaries of State for Transport and for Education and Skills have discussed staggered school opening hours on a number of occasions. Experience in some local authorities has shown that small changes to school opening hours can make a major difference to the economics of dedicated school bus services and can also improve services by allowing the same number of buses to provide a service to many more pupils. But this is a matter for individual schools and local authorities to take a view on, in developing comprehensive school travel plans.

Shipping Safety

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British ships were (a) lost and (b) damaged whilst at sea in each year since 1997.

David Jamieson: The numbers of United Kingdom registered merchant vessels of 100 gross tonnes 1 and over lost and damaged while in coastal or high seas since 1997 are set out in the table. This table is based on accidents reported to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch of the Department for Transport.
	1 "British Ships" has been defined as United Kingdom Merchant Vessels of 100 gross tonnes and over.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Total 
		
		
			 Constructive Total Loss(38) 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 
			 Damaged 29 19 21 29 23 13 134 
			 Total 30 19 21 29 24 13 136 
		
	
	(38) The term "constructive total loss" is used by insurance companies. It describes the situation where the ship insured is reasonably abandoned on account of its actual total loss appearing to be unavoidable, or because it could not be preserved from actual total loss without an expenditure which would exceed its value when the expenditure had been incurred.

Shipping Safety

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the minimum strength standard that British ships are built to for (a) the hull and (b) the aft.

David Jamieson: The detailed designs of structural elements of British ships are to standards which are maintained and published by those classification societies to which this responsibility has been delegated under the Merchant Shipping Acts. Such standards govern the hull and fittings, superstructures and machinery of ships and take into account hull form, speed, operational restraints and geographic area of operation. Minimum strength standards are dependent on the role of the specific vessel.
	The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) exists as a forum for the unification of such standards. IACS publishes a number of unified requirements related to ship's structures.

Shipping Safety

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of British ships are built to withstand freak waves while at sea.

David Jamieson: British vessels are designed to meet the worst waves reasonably expected in service. The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has tables showing what wave loadings are to be used for differing service requirements. Standards for ship's structures are based on known wave environments expressed statistically and incorporate appropriate safety margins. Freak waves by definition are in excess of these expectations and therefore no ship is specifically designed to meet them.

Transport (Concessionary Fares) Bill

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to accept the proposals outlined in the Transport (Concessionary Fares) Bill introduced by the right hon. Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Joyce Quin) on 16 September; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: We have ensured that older people aged 60 and over and disabled people are entitled to a free bus pass allowing half-fare travel on local buses, as a minimum. Local authorities may already run more generous schemes, such as free travel and cross boundary concessionary travel, if they wish. We have also introduced a half-fare for older people (aged 60 and over) and disabled people on many long distance scheduled coach services, in return for the operators of those services receiving grant from the Department for Transport.

Walking Strategy

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much money has been spent on the development and production of a draft Walking Strategy; and when the final strategy will be published;
	(2)  what initiatives his Department has implemented to reverse the decline in people choosing to walk their journeys as a means of travelling;
	(3)  what plans the Government has made to establish a National Walking Board to implement the findings of the draft walking strategy;
	(4)  what plans the Government has made to establish a walking website as a resource for promoting walking as an alternative way of travelling short journeys.

Kim Howells: My Department issued a discussion document to inform our strategy on walking on 30 June. "On the move: by foot" sought views on how we might improve conditions for pedestrians and increase levels of walking. The consultation period closed on 26 September. We shall consider carefully all responses received to determine the need for future resources, institutions and additional specific guidance. It is not possible to quantify accurately the costs to Government and to list the many organisations and individuals who have contributed to the development of our strategy on walking to date. We aim to publish a follow-up document before the end of this year.
	My Department has implemented a range of initiatives which support sustainable travel options, including walking journeys. These focus on school and workplace travel and traffic management measures.
	My Department has pledged part-funding to an alliance of Living Streets, London Walking Forum and the Ramblers Association for the development of an interactive website for practitioners and the public. It will bring together news on publications, conferences, training and good practice, as well as providing a forum for advice and exchange of views.
	The Government's 10 Year Transport Plan and Liveability agenda fully recognise the benefits to the environment of more journeys on foot. The recently-established cross-Whitehall Activity Co-ordination Team is also considering how best to promote the health benefits of routine physical activity such as walking.

Wind Farms

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce offshore wind farm safety legislation to create a safety zone around the Robin Rigg Offshore.

David Jamieson: The Government hope to bring forward legislation to create a comprehensive legal framework which applies to all marine renewable energy developments as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Wind Farms

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons he decided to legislate for offshore wind farm safety for Scotland; and whether he consulted the office of the Secretary of State for Scotland before deciding to legislate in this area.

David Jamieson: The Government hope to bring forward legislation relating to renewable energy developments as soon as parliamentary time allows. Officials in the Department of Transport are in regular contact with those in the Scotland Office and Scottish Executive about a range of issues concerning renewable energy developments. This will ensure fully effective provisions dealing with navigational safety in the vicinity of all offshore renewable energy developments located around the UK.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL FOR SCOTLAND

Official Engagements

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Advocate-General for Scotland, pursuant to her Answer of 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 17W, on engagements, if she will list the Scotland Office official engagements she has undertaken over the last 12 months.

Lynda Clark: It is not practice to list the individual engagements.

SCOTLAND

Airport Expansion

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on airport expansion in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: The Government will publish an air transport White Paper later this year which will include consideration of issues relating to airport capacity in Scotland and in other parts of the United Kingdom.

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for UK entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for UK entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency.

Alistair Darling: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my hon. Friend, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury at column 142W.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on food by his Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Scotland Office expenditure on food is minimal, is generally limited to catering associated with official hospitality and supplied by external contractors. Information on the cost or the source of food supplied is not held centrally.

Holyrood Project

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if his Department will make a submission to the Fraser inquiry into the Holyrood project.

Anne McGuire: Invitations to make written submissions to the inquiry are a matter for Lord Fraser. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made clear, the Scotland Office will provide any information he may request.

Holyrood Project

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department (a) has met and (b) will meet Lord Fraser to discuss (i) the inquiry into the Holyrood project and (ii) the evidence to be provided by Her Majesty's Government for the Scottish Office.

Anne McGuire: Scotland Office Ministers and officials have received no invitation to meet Lord Fraser in the context of his inquiry into the Holyrood project.

Holyrood Project

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Government intends to allow the Fraser inquiry into the Scottish Parliament building access to information relating to internal advice and decisions made by government on this matter, and in particular information which would normally be subject to Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Anne McGuire: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear to the Scottish Affairs Committee on 17 June, the Government will co-operate fully in providing information requested in connection with the inquiry.

WALES

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for United Kingdom entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for United Kingdom entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency.

Don Touhig: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury gave him at column 142W.

Licensing Fees

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by his Department in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Don Touhig: IT equipment is currently supplied to the Wales Office by Siemens Business Services under their contract with the National Assembly for Wales. Relevant licences are held by Siemens.
	In the coming year, Wales Office IT equipment will be supplied by Liberata under their contract to the Department for Constitutional Affairs DCA. Relevant licences will be held by Liberata.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 24 June 2003, Official Report, column 707W, on asbestos, if he will list the buildings which have been identified as containing asbestos.

Ian Pearson: Two schedules, one of which lists those buildings within the Northern Ireland Civil Service office estate which contain asbestos, and one of which lists the specialist buildings owned by NICS departments which contain asbestos, have been placed in the Library.

Assembly Elections

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will announce the date of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections which were originally scheduled to take place in May.

John Spellar: The Government hopes that it will be possible for elections to be held during the autumn. No date has yet been set, nor has a date been set by which an announcement will be made.

Asthma

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children have been diagnosed with asthma in the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The majority of persons suffering from asthma have their condition diagnosed and treated by a general practitioner and this information is not available centrally. The Department does however fund a project managed by the Department of General Practice at Queens University of Belfast. This project collects data from a representative sample of general practitioners' practices across Northern Ireland.
	Provisional figures from this data retrieval project suggest there are approximately 150 cases of asthma diagnosed per 1,000 persons in the population for the under 15 age group. This equates to approximately 1 in 7 children.
	The National Asthma Campaign estimate that the prevalence of asthma is on the increase with approximately 1 in 7 children in the UK receiving treatment for it. This reflects a worldwide increase in asthma prevalence.
	The primary cause of most cases of asthma is unknown; however, there is evidence that parental smoking exacerbates asthma in children.

Benefit Payments

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to meet representatives of the Northern Ireland Branch of the National Federation of Sub-postmasters to discuss issues arising from the direct payment of pensions and benefits into bank accounts.

John Spellar: The Social Security Agency and the Post Office have worked closely in developing the Direct Payment programme which is aimed at providing a safer, more convenient, modern and efficient method of paying social security benefits. However, I have no plans to meet representatives of the Northern Ireland Branch of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters.

Child Care Initiative

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what measures have been introduced by Northern Ireland government departments to support the child care initiative;
	(2)  what measures have been introduced by the Northern Ireland Office to support the child care initiative.

Ian Pearson: The Government have a significant role as an employer in Northern Ireland and recognise the importance of maintaining and reviewing the measures in place to help civil servants balance their work and family responsibilities. Child care was one of the issues closely examined in the recent NICS dependant care review. This major review was carried out by an Interdepartmental Working Group and consultation with Central Trade Union Side is now due to begin. A number of key recommendations impacting on child care issues have been made and will be taken forward by DFP. At present there are various child care arrangements in place within individual Departments and Agencies.

Chronic Diseases

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made by each local health and social care group in Northern Ireland to encourage the development of systematic and evidence-based approaches to the prevention, identification, management and follow-up of people with chronic disease, with particular reference to (a) coronary heart disease, (b) diabetes and (c) COPD.

Angela Smith: Local health and social care groups are working closely with all primary care professionals in their areas to encourage the development of systematic and evidence-based approaches to the prevention, identification, management and follow-up of people with chronic disease. In particular, the groups are currently undertaking three coronary heart disease projects, 14 diabetes projects and 9 COPD projects.

Class Sizes

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many primary schools in (a) North Down and (b) Northern Ireland had class sizes of more than 30 pupils in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested (which relates to 2002–03) is as follows:
	
		
			 Area Class size 
		
		
			 North Down 5 
			 Northern Ireland 166

Diabetes

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy that the Department of Health Services and Public Safety implement the CREST Taskforce Report on Diabetes in full;
	(2)  when a regional implementation group, as outlined in the CREST Taskforce Report on Diabetes 2003, will be established;
	(3)  what resources will be allocated to take forward the implementation of the CREST Report; and on what timescale.

Angela Smith: The Department recognises the importance of the need for high quality care and early detection for people with diabetes and the need for prevention, and welcomes the publication of the CREST report. The report contains a wide range of recommendations covering the full spectrum of the condition from screening for people with a higher risk of developing diabetes to the prevention and treatment of the disease.
	The prevention of diabetes through the health promotion message of healthy eating, physical activity, not smoking and greater public awareness of diabetes, its symptoms and associated health risks is extremely important. I am confident that existing health strategies such as Investing for Health, the Physical Activity Strategy and Nutrition Strategy will contribute significantly to this. I have also emphasised the need to secure improvements in the management of chronic disease and I have asked local health and social care groups to develop projects within their locality to secure improvements in conditions such as diabetes. I have also made resources available to improve the detection and treatment of diabetes-related eye disease and this is being taken forward by a regional working group. These significant steps underline my desire to improve services for people with diabetes.
	My Department is currently considering how it can best address the other recommendations in the CREST report within the current and planned resources available to it.

Diabetes

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what cross-border co-operation projects have been planned on improving the quality of life for people with Type II diabetes.

Angela Smith: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland and the Department of Health and Children in the Republic of Ireland are to jointly support a project aimed at improving the management and quality of life of Type II diabetic patients through community pharmacies and raising public awareness of the condition.
	The project, which is expected to run until December 2005, is to be funded through the INTERREG IIIA Community Initiative.

Diabetes

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of each local health and social care group plans in relation to diabetes as outlined in Priorities for Action 2003–04.

Angela Smith: One of the key actions set out in Priorities for Action 2003–04 was a requirement for each of the 15 local health and social care groups to develop at least one project to increase the capacity of primary care to address chronic diseases such as asthma or diabetes in the primary care setting and reduce pressures in the hospital sector. It is a matter for each group to decide which area of chronic disease management should be targeted in the light of local priorities. In the event, 14 groups are taking forward projects which focus on diabetes. The exact nature of the projects varies from group to group and they are at different stages of development.

Digital Hearing Aids

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of those waiting for digital hearing aids in Northern Ireland have been issued with a digital hearing aid; what action he is taking to increase this figure; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Preparatory work for the provision of Digital Hearing Aids (DHAs) is at an advanced stage and introduction, on a phased basis, will commence in early November. An additional £1 million has been allocated for this purpose, to cover the revenue costs of recruiting additional audiologists, training in fitting DHAs, purchasing the new aids and the capital costs of installing computer based testing equipment necessary to support introduction.
	It is estimated that there are over 100,000 hearing aid users in Northern Ireland. Evidence based research suggests that DHAs may benefit 80 per cent. of users. It is not possible at this stage to say what numbers of new and existing users might be assessed for DHAs per year. Given that introduction is on a phased basis, it will take a number of years for the entire hearing aid user population to be assessed for digital aids.

Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action (a) has been taken and (b) will be taken in order to reduce waiting times for MOT appointments at the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency.

Angela Smith: The principal cause of the present difficulties is a significant increase in demand: applications are up by around 11 per cent. over the previous year. Allied to this is the fact that the Agency's test centres have been closed on a phased basis for the installation of much needed new vehicle test equipment. I regret that despite careful planning it has not been possible to cope as effectively as I would have liked with this additional demand in recent months.
	The Agency has taken a number of measures to reduce waiting times. These include increasing productivity, introducing a more efficient booking programme, making maximum possible use of overtime, redeploying staff from non-urgent duties to testing, introducing extended working at a number of centres, recruiting additional staff and postponing non-urgent training. It has also improved the provision of information and guidance to the public and is in the process of extending its new telephone booking service.
	These and other measures have brought about a gradual improvement. Average waiting times have dropped from 43 days in early July to around 35 days. The positive trend is expected to continue over the next few months.

Educational Psychology

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many pupils are (a) being attended to by educational psychologists and (b) waiting to be attended to by educational psychologists in each of the education board areas in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  how many pupils (a) requested an appointment with an educational psychologist and (b) succeeded in obtaining such an appointmenst in each of the education board areas in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years;
	(3)  what the average waiting times for a child to get an appointment with an educational psychologist in each of the Education Board areas in Northern Ireland was in each of the past five years.

Jane Kennedy: This information is not available from the Education and Library Boards within the time scale. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

Educational Psychology

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many educational psychologists are employed by each of the Education and Library Board areas in Northern Ireland; and how many (a) were employed, (b) retired and (c) recruited in each board area in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: I have been informed by the Education and Library Boards that the number of Educational Psychologists employed by each Board area, in each of the past five years, is as follows.
	
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 BELB(39) 17.9 21 22 23.5 26 
			 NEELB(39) 17.5 20.5 22 23 23 
			 SEELB(39) 17.5 20 20 22.3 22.6 
			 SELB(39) N/a 22.75 24.8 26.26 24.1 
			 WELB(39) 13 14.5 20.5 22.5 24.5 
		
	
	(39) Full time equivalent
	In the time scale available it is not possible to provide recruitment and retirement data correlating with the data in the table above. I will write to the hon. Member later with these figures once they have been confirmed with the Education and Library Boards.

Energy Efficiency

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps he has taken to promote energy efficiency in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Consultation document 'Towards a New Energy Strategy for Northern Ireland', published by DETI in April 2003, highlighted the continued importance of energy efficiency and renewable energy as the primary means of reducing the carbon footprint of the energy sector in Northern Ireland and enhancing sustainability. The final Strategy, which will be published later this year, will further sharpen the focus on energy efficiency and help co-ordinate efforts towards securing further substantial improvements.
	Government are committed to promoting energy efficiency and approximately £16 million will be committed this year on energy efficiency programmes sponsored by a number of Government Departments in Northern Ireland.
	For example, the Department of Social Development has lead responsibility for energy efficiency in the domestic sector, using the Northern Ireland Housing Executive as a delivery partner, and has secured a 13 per cent. saving in energy consumption since 1996 in occupied stock across all tenures. This level of saving was achieved from a broad range of schemes, such as the Warm Homes Scheme, the Housing Executive's heating replacement programme and renewable energy pilot schemes. The energy efficiency levy, which was increased by the Northern Ireland Assembly to £5 per electricity consumer was used to further underpin household energy efficiency with over 80 per cent. of this benefit being specifically targeted towards disadvantaged householders likely to be at risk of fuel poverty.

Environmental Protection Agency

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will establish an independent environmental protection agency in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: In April 1996, the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) was set up as a Next Steps Agency. The Agency was significantly under-resourced in its initial years. However, following devolution, the Executive accorded environmental protection a high priority, and funding increased significantly.
	There are no specific plans at present to establish an independent Environment Protection Agency. However, it is anticipated that the role of Next Steps Agencies, will be examined as part of the proposed Review of Public Administration. The review team are due to consult on their findings shortly.

Equal Opportunities

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on cross-departmental policies to tackle (a) gender inequality and (b) racial inequality in Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: We are committed to bringing forward cross-departmental gender and race equality strategies during 2003. These will strengthen work being done under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
	A gender strategy is being developed in consultation with the Equality Commission and voluntary and community sector groups. The first draft of the strategy has been circulated to Departments for comments and a second series of consultation workshops with the Equality Commission and voluntary and community sector groups has been scheduled for early October 2003. The aim is to publish a draft Gender Equality Strategy for consultation by later autumn 2003.
	A race strategy, which will be the overarching Government policy document in relation to racial equality in Northern Ireland, was launched for consultation on 25 February 2003. The consultation period which included both public seminars and focused seminars with minority ethnic communities, closed on 31 July 2003. The consultation responses are currently being assessed and the finalised strategy and Action Plan, which will be developed in partnership with the Northern Ireland Race Forum, will be published by the end of the 2003–04 financial year.

Equality Commission

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reason the Equality Commission has not yet established a consultative council as required by section 74 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: Section 74 of the Northern Ireland Act confers a power on the Commission to establish consultative councils. If this power is exercised, the Commission has a duty to have regard to the advice offered by the council(s).
	The Commission's first Corporate Plan included an intention to consider and consult on options on this issue and the report of a pre-consultation exercise was considered by the Commission in 2002. I understand that little interest was expressed on the establishment of a consultative council(s) in this exercise. The Commission decided to defer a decision on a formal consultation until 2003–04 business year and this remains the position.

Equality Commission

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many fair employment cases the Equality Commission is assisting through the provision of funding; and how many of these also involve discrimination prohibited on other grounds;
	(2)  when the Equality Commission produced a strategic plan for investigations following reviews under Article 55 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998;
	(3)  how many employers the Equality Commission has referred to the Fair Employment Tribunal because of a failure to abide by undertakings made as a result of investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Northern Ireland) 1998 in each year;
	(4)  how many applications for assistance in terms of funding of fair employment cases the Equality Commission received (a) in the last financial year and (b) in this financial year; and how many of these also involved discrimination prohibited on other grounds;
	(5)  how many cases the Equality Commission is assisting through the provision of funding;
	(6)  how many applications for assistance in terms of funding of cases the Equality Commission has received in the (a) current and (b) last financial year;
	(7)  what external research the Equality Commission has commissioned on fair employment since its foundation;
	(8)  what (a) external and (b) internal research the Equality Commission has published on fair employment since its foundation;
	(9)  how many investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 have been initiated by the Equality Commission in each year since its foundation;
	(10)  if he will confirm when the Equality Commission produced a strategic plan for investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998;
	(11)  how many investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Northern Ireland) 1998 have been initiated by the Equality Commission in each year since its foundation; and how many of them were against an employer as a result of a finding by the Fair Employment Tribunal against that employer;
	(12)  what external research the Equality Commission has published on fair employment since its foundation;
	(13)  with how many employers the Equality Commission has agreed undertakings following investigations under Article 11 of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Northern Ireland) 1998 in each year since its foundation.

John Spellar: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to write to the hon. Gentleman. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on food by his Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Expenditure on food in NICS Departments is generally limited to official hospitality and staff catering subsidies of approximately £700,000 per annum in both 2001–02 and 2002–03. Staff catering services have been contracted out since the early '90s and the purchase of food is therefore the responsibility of the private sector catering service providers.
	Departments do not have detailed information to identify what proportion of that food by value was produced in the Untied Kingdom other than statements from catering service providers that, where possible, the majority of fresh food would be sourced in Northern Ireland.
	No guidance has been issued encouraging the procurement of home produced food; however, my Department is liasing with the Departments of Environment and Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland and nationally with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in developing policy and best practice guidance on food procurement to ensure quality standards and value for money. This process has also involved consultation with stakeholders including the World Wildlife Fund, Livestock Marketing Commission and Ulster Farmers Union.

Forensic Service

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding he intends to make available, following the completion of the evaluation phase, to support the acquisition of new premises for the Forensic Science Agency.

John Spellar: I await the outcome of the current accommodation review before making decisions on the most appropriate funding and procurement routes to secure necessary facilities for the Agency.

Forensic Service

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps have been taken (a) to put an adequate maintenance and refurbishment programme in place for and (b) to replace the current premises and facilities of the Forensic Science Agency.

John Spellar: FSNI continues to service and maintain its facilities. Following the outcome of the current accommodation review, I will be making decisions on the future accommodation requirements of the Agency. Alongside this, consideration will also be given to any further action needed to maintain facilities in the interim.

Foster Carers

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what allowances are made available by local authorities for foster carers in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: In Northern Ireland, Health and Social Services (HSS) trusts pay fostering allowances, which are agreed each year in consultation with the four HSS boards. The standard rates known as the 'Model Scheme' in Northern Ireland are currently lower than the average amount paid by local authorities in England. However, boards and trusts have increased allowances within the Model Scheme by 5.5 per cent. for 2003–04. Different rates are payable for children of different ages ranging from £285.88 per four weeks for children aged 0–4 to £513.52 per four weeks for children aged 16+ . The scale of foster care allowances is set out in the following table. Enhanced allowances are also available to cover, for example, expenses incurred at Christmas and birthdays and the cost of school uniforms and educational holidays.
	My Department is currently developing a Strategy for Children in Need which will include children in foster care. It is intended that we will work closely with HSS boards, trusts and the fostering network to develop a three-year plan for fostering in Northern Ireland. This will have regard to the issues raised in the Strategy for Foster Care Services in Northern Ireland which has already been developed by the four HSS boards in association with the fostering network, including those which relate to remuneration of foster carers.
	
		Scale of foster care allowances -- £
		
			 Age group Per week Per four weeks Per annum 
		
		
			 0–4 71.47 285.88 3,716.44 
			 5–10 81.41 325.64 4,233.32 
			 11–15 101.36 405.44 5,270.72 
			 16+ 128.38 513.52 6,675.76

Foster Carers

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many registered foster carers there were in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement on the recruitment of foster carers in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The routine collection of data by my Department on the numbers of registered foster carers in Northern Ireland commenced in 2001 and the returns from that date are presented in the following table. In addition a figure is available for 1997 from a fostering inspection report published by the Social Services Inspectorate. This, too, is presented in following table.
	There are difficulties with the recruitment and retention of foster carers. Despite numerous recruitment campaigns by Health and Social Services (HSS) Boards and Trusts, problems with the recruitment of foster carers continue to exist.
	The success in recruitment and retention of foster carers is dependent on many factors including remuneration, training, the status that foster carers receive and support, particularly in times of crisis. My Department is currently in the process of developing a strategy for all children in need including those in foster care. It is intended that, as part of that strategy, the Department will work in liaison with HSS Boards and Trusts and the Fostering Network to develop a three year costed fostering plan. The plan will, of course, take account of the issues raised in the Strategy for Foster Care Services developed by the four HSS Boards in conjunction with the Fostering Network, which I understand will be published soon.
	
		Registered foster carers in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 1,380 
			 1998–2000 (40)— 
			 2001 1,155 
			 2002 1,132 
			 2003 1,192 
		
	
	(40) Data not routinely collected.

Further Education

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he plans to allow all children who wish to remain in education until age 19 to do so.

Jane Kennedy: The Government encourage young people in Northern Ireland to continue in full-time education beyond the compulsory school leaving age of 16 and as far as possible facilitate the decisions of those who wish to do so subject of course to the entrance requirements of the specific institution.

Gransha Road, Dundonald

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on claims made by members of the public in 2002 about tarmac laid on the Gransha Road, Dundonald.

John Spellar: On 25 July 2002 routine surface dressing work was carried out on behalf of the Department at Gransha Road by its measured term contractor, Tullyraine Quarries Ltd.
	On 29 July 2002 reports were received about the failure of the surface dressing and of a substantial number of vehicle damage claims caused by this failure.
	The failure was investigated by the Department and these investigations led to the Department referring all the Gransha Road vehicle damage claims then known, approximately 400, to the contractor, Tullyraine Quarries Ltd., in accordance with proper legal and audit practice and procedure.
	The Department maintains its position that legal responsibility for the claims lies with its contractor, Tullyraine Quarries Ltd. The contractor has not to date conceded responsibility and the claims remain outstanding.
	One of the motorists, who sustained vehicle damage on 29 July 2002, issued legal proceedings on 22 July 2003 against the Department, Tullyraine Quarries Ltd. and Lagan Services Ltd. This on-going court action shall proceed as a test case.
	The Department cannot comment any further as the legal issues are now sub judice.

Health Service (Sick Leave)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the longest time is that an employee has been on sick leave in each of the health trusts in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The information is not readily available in the format requested. However the following table contains information, which Trusts were able to provide. The entitlement for paid sick leave for any employee is a maximum of 12 months, six months full pay and six months half pay. Employees can remain on the Trust payroll for a number of reasons; these include applications for ill health retirement, where the recovery period is longer or where a member of staff is terminally ill.
	
		
			 HSS Trust Reply 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Details not available 
			 Armagh and Dungannon 11 months (continuing) 
			 Belfast City Hospital 2 years 
			 Causeway 2 years 5 months 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community 1 year 1 month 
			 Craigavon Area 1 year 5 months 
			 Down Lisburn 2 years 5 months (continuing) 
			 Foyle 2 years 4 months (continuing) 
			 Green Park 3 years 
			 Homefirst Community Details not available 
			 Mater Infirmorum 1 year 
			 Newry and Mourne 2 years 
			 North and West Details not available 
			 NI Ambulance Service 2 years 
			 Royal Group HSS Trust Details not available 
			 South and East Belfast Details not available 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 1 year 8 months (continuing) 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust 3 years 5 months 
			 United Hospitals 2 years 3 months

Health Service (Sick Leave)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sick leave days were taken in Northern Ireland by (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other health professionals and (d) other employees in (i) 1998, (ii) 1993 and (iii) 1988.

Angela Smith: Information on sick absence is not held centrally and not all trusts were able to supply full details in the required format. However, information supplied by individual trusts is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 HSS Trust/Staff type 1988 1993 1998 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin
			 Nursing (41)— 13,301 11,830 
			 Medical (41)— 346 434 
			 Healthcare (41)— 2,373 3,707 
			 Professionals (41)— 6,492 6,299 
			 Other (41)—   
			 
			 Armagh and Dungannon
			 Nursing (41)— (41)— 17,312 
			 Medical (41)— (41)— 222 
			 Healthcare (41)— (41)— 1,898 
			 Professionals (41)— (41)— 13,128 
			 Other (41)— (41)— — 
			 
			 Belfast City
			 Nursing 9,433.6 17,462.4 17,851.9 
			 Medical (41)— — 325.9 
			 Healthcare 1,766.0 442.6 4,261.7 
			 Professionals 7,792.1 3,051.2 18,469.0 
			 Other — 18,579.9 — 
			 
			 Causeway
			 Nursing 4,550.0 8550.8 7,439.8 
			 Medical 25.0 41.0 143.2 
			 Healthcare 296.5 853.5 557.8 
			 Professionals 7,517.8 26,433.6 17,608.4 
			 Other — — — 
			 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge
			 Nursing (41)— 2,198.8 2,915.2 
			 Medical (41)— 56.5 117.6 
			 Healthcare (41)— 4,150.1 4,448.1 
			 Professionals (41)— 10,807.5 6,567.3 
			 Other (41)— — — 
			 
			 Craigavon
			 Nursing 6,037.9 12,482.7 7,808.9 
			 Medical 0 306 322 
			 Healthcare 450.6 1,509 1,100.3 
			 Professionals 3,911.4 6,304.5 4,083.5 
			 Other — — — 
			 
			 Down Lisburn
			 Nursing 3,610 13,242 18,533 
			 Medical 1 68 430 
			 Healthcare 266 933 1,370 
			 Professionals 4,059 17,606 20,423 
			 Other — — — 
			 Foyle
			 Nursing (41)— (41)— 886.4 
			 Medical (41)— (41)— 15.5 
			 Healthcare (41)— (41)— 514.8 
			 Professionals (41)— (41)— 1,313.8 
			 Other (41)— (41)— — 
			 
			 Green Park
			 Nursing (41)— (41)— 9,225 
			 Medical (41)— (41)— 95.40 
			 Healthcare (41)— (41)— 1,411.90 
			 Professionals (41)— (41)— 4,692.5 
			 Other (41)— (41)— — 
			 
			 Homefirst Community
			 Nursing (41)— (41)— (41)— 
			 Medical (41)— (41)— (41)— 
			 Healthcare (41)— (41)— (41)— 
			 Professionals (41)— (41)— (41)— 
			 Other (41)— (41)— (41)— 
			 
			 Mater Infirmorum
			 Nursing — — 11,197.54 
			 Medical — — (42)— 
			 Healthcare — — (42)— 
			 Professionals — — (42)— 
			 Other — — (42)— 
			 
			 Newry and Mourne
			 Nursing (41)— (41)— 8,836 
			 Medical (41)— (41)— 186 
			 Healthcare (41)— (41)— 1,465 
			 Professionals (41)— (41)— 8,748 
			 Other (41)— (41)— — 
			 
			 North and West Belfast
			 Nursing (41)— 7,612.30 6,953.4 
			 Medical (41)— 99.10 380.2 
			 Healthcare (41)— 2,641.30 3,223.4 
			 Professionals (41)— 26,266.7 26,723.1 
			 Other (41)— — — 
			 
			 NI Ambulance Service
			 Ambulance staff (41)— (41)— 18,748 
			 
			 Royal Group
			 Nursing (41)— 17,981.6 8,725.4 
			 Medical (41)— 793.6 213.4 
			 Healthcare (41)— 1,916.8 1,014.1 
			 Professionals (41)— 48,855.2 25,369.2 
			 Other (41)— — — 
			 South and East Belfast
			 Nursing 2,952.6 13,742.9 12,583 
			 Medical 1.5 347.1 75.4 
			 Healthcare 287.6 8,519.9 7,794.5 
			 Professionals 3,104.3 27,777.8 15,486.9 
			 Other — — — 
			 
			 Sperrin Lakeland
			 Nursing 623.2 17,030.6 21,848.5 
			 Medical 0 300.9 573.6 
			 Healthcare 124 1,655.1 4,467 
			 Professionals 175.4 18,255 17,137 
			 Other — — — 
			 
			 Ulster Community
			 Nursing 5,037.4 18,922.1 14,048.9 
			 Medical 19.2 356.4 368.2 
			 Healthcare 2,413.8 2,239.1 8,740.7 
			 Professionals 9,337.1 21,741.7 18,572.7 
			 Other — — — 
			 United Hospitals
			 Nursing (41)— (41)— 16,167 
			 Medical (41)— (41)— 597 
			 Healthcare (41)— (41)— 1,781 
			 Professionals (41)— (41)— 26,409 
			 Other (41)— (41)— — 
		
	
	(41) N/A
	(42) All grades—breakdown not available
	Note:
	All figures are working days lost.

Health Service (Sick Leave)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioners in Northern Ireland are on sick leave; and for what length of time each has been on sick leave.

Angela Smith: As a general practitioner is entitled to his or her full normal remuneration during absence on account of illness, not all GPs report when they are unable to attend work due to sickness. The total number of GPs on sick absence is therefore not known. However it is known that at 31 August 2003, 31 general practitioners have reported absent from their practice on account of sickness.
	
		
			 Number of weeks Number of GPs 
		
		
			 Under 2 weeks 5 
			 2–4 weeks 3 
			 5–13 weeks 11 
			 14–26 weeks 7 
			 Over 26 weeks 5

Bill of Rights

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has spent on the drafting of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: The consultation process on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland was launched on 1 April 2000. The total costs to date are £503,800. These costs include advertising (circa 40 per cent.) and publications (also circa 40 per cent.) together with a range of other costs relating to events, conferences, work with children and young people, public opinion surveys and education and training events and materials.

Implementation Group

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which parties comprise the Implementation Group in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: The political parties who are invited to the Implementation Group are parties committed to securing the full implementation of the Agreement.

Integrated Education

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many integrated education school places there were in (a) North Down and (b) Northern Ireland in each year since 1997; what action he is taking to increase the number of integrated education places; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The total approved enrolments for North Down Integrated Schools—Primary and Post-Primary since 1997 are:
	
		
			 School year Total approved enrolment numbers 
		
		
			 1997–98 0 
			 1998–99 856 
			 1999–2000 918 
			 2000–01 934 
			 2001–02 944 
			 2002–03 944 
			 2003–04 944 
		
	
	The total approved enrolment number for all Integrated Schools—Primary and Post-Primary since 1997 are:
	
		
			 School year Total approved enrolment numbers 
		
		
			 1997–98 9,462 
			 1998–99 12,507 
			 1999–2000 13,470 
			 2000–01 14,508 
			 2001–02 15,356 
			 2002–03 16,088 
			 2003–04 16,341 
		
	
	The Department of Education funds the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education to promote the development of integrated education and also contributes to the Integrated Education Fund which provides assistance with the capital costs of new schools.
	In December 2000 the Department reduced the viability criteria for the establishment of new integrated school to intakes of 15 pupils for primary schools in Belfast and Londonderry and 12 pupils for developments elsewhere in Northern Ireland. Changes to the viability criteria for integrated post primary schools were announced in October 2001. Integrated post primary schools which achieve a year eight intake of 50 pupils a now eligible for recurrent funding from the Department.
	New Integrated Primary Schools have recently been announced in Randalstown, Glengormley and Antrim, bringing to 50 the number of integrated schools operating in Northern Ireland.

International Bodies

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all international members of bodies set up in Northern Ireland since 1998 in connection with the Belfast Agreement.

John Spellar: There are two bodies established or to be established by International Agreement in connection with the Belfast Agreement. The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning was established by International Agreement between the British and Irish Governments in September 1997. Its current members are General John de Chastelain (a Canadian national) and Mr. Andrew Sens (a United States national). The Independent Monitoring Commission will be established by an International Agreement between the British and Irish Governments. The membership will comprise two United Kingdom nationals (Mr. John Grieve and Lord Alderdice); one Irish national (Mr. Joe Brosnan) and one United States national (Mr. Richard Kerr).

Irish Hare

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has received the report on the status of the Irish hare for the review of the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I refer to the answer I gave my hon. Friend, the Member for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) on the 16 September 2003, Official Report, column 117W.

Learning Disabilities

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on educational opportunities for those aged 16 and above with (a) severe and (b) moderate learning disability.

Jane Kennedy: Pupils with special educational needs are assessed by education and library boards (ELBs) on an individual basis.
	Pupils with severe learning difficulties, because of the nature and complexity of their special educational needs, generally remain in full-time education in special schools until the end of the term following their nineteenth birthday.
	Pupils with moderate learning difficulties, whether placed in an ordinary school, a special unit or a special school, generally leave school at the statutory school leaving age but usually move on to placement in training or further education. In a small number of cases and depending on their special educational needs, they may remain in school beyond statutory school leaving age.
	ELBs are required, in conjunction with other relevant agencies, to draw up a transition plan for all pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs to set out appropriate post-school opportunities, including further education.
	The Department for Employment and Learning's (DEL) Careers Service provides impartial advice and guidance to young people with severe and moderate learning disabilities on all available opportunities in education, training and employment. These include the DEL funded Jobskills training programme within further education colleges which provide a range of courses suitable for people over 16 with learning difficulties. DEL also funds a range of support services for these young people to assist in their achievement of qualifications.

Learning Disabilities

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to ensure that a statement provided for a child with special needs in one board area is acceptable in all education and library board areas in Northern Ireland when the child transfers from one board area to another; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department of Education's Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs gives clear guidance to Education and Library Boards and Schools on meeting the special educational needs (SEN) of all children who require such provision.
	When responsibility for a child with a statement of SEN changes from one Board to another, the statement mu be transferred to the new Board, together with any opinion which may have been provided under the Disabled Persons (NI) Act 1989 that the child is disabled. Upon the transfer of the statement, the receiving Board becomes responsible for maintaining the statement, and for providing the special educational provision specif in the statement.
	The receiving Board may, on the transfer of the statement, bring forward arrangements for the review of the statement, and may conduct a new statutory assessment regardless of when the previous assessment took place. It must tell the parents, within six weeks of the date of transfer, when it will review the statement, and whether statutory assessment is proposed.

Linguistic Diversity

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff are employed in the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure; how many have competence in the Irish language; and how many have competence in the Ulster Scots language.

Angela Smith: Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has 10 members of staff comprising 9 permanent employees and one casual. These staff belong to the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) general administrative grades and have been recruited in accordance with NICS competencies and procedures. Expertise in specific languages is not among the core competencies which are required of general service administrative staff in the NICS.

Linguistic Diversity

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to which trustees the draft linguistic diversity policy of the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland has been presented; and for what reason.

Angela Smith: A new Board of Trustees of the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland was appointed in July 2002. The board has not yet seen the draft linguistic diversity policy, but it is hoped that its members will have an opportunity to consider and formally adopt the draft shortly.
	One member of the outgoing board was actively involved in the development of the draft policy, through chairing the working group that was established by the board to take the process forward. However, the other members of the outgoing board did not consider the draft before the end of their term of office.

NHS Patients (Private Health Care)

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients have been referred by the NHS in Northern Ireland to private healthcare providers (a) in England, (b) in Northern Ireland, (c) in Scotland, (d) in Wales and (e) abroad in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: (a)-(e) Information on the number of patients referred to private health care providers across the United Kingdom and abroad is detailed.
	Patients may be referred to private health care providers under two schemes
	1. Extra Contractual referral scheme (ECR)
	2. Waiting List Initiatives
	Under the ECR scheme patients are referred to private health care providers, as the specialist treatment they require is not available locally in a NHS hospital.
	Patients may also be transferred to private healthcare providers to reduce waiting lists at NHS hospitals.
	There are four Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland. Each Board has not been able to provide the data in the same format and in some instances data was not available (n/a). To obtain complete and consistent data would require a manual exercise, the costs of this would be disproportionate.
	Table 1 details the number of patients transferred by Eastern, Northern and Southern Health Board Areas under the ECR scheme.
	Table 2 details the number of patients transferred by Eastern, Northern and Southern Health Board Areas as part of Waiting List Initiatives.
	Table 3 details the number of patients transferred by Western Health Board Area under both ECR schemes and Waiting List Initiatives.
	The figures are for patients referred to private health care providers within the acute programme of care. A number of patients from the elderly, learning disability and mental health programmes of care are treated in nursing and residential homes managed by private health care providers.
	
		Table 1: Number of patients from each Health Board Area referred for private treatment under the ECR scheme
		
			  Health Boardof Residence Northern Ireland Abroad England Scotland Wales Mainland GB Total 
		
		
			 1999(43) Eastern 2 4 9 0 0 9 15 
			 1999–2000 Northern n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999–2000 Southern 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			  
			 2000(43) Eastern 1 6 37 8 3 48 55 
			 2000–01 Northern 0 3 n/a n/a n/a 12 15 
			 2000–01 Southern 1 0 0 1 0 1 2 
			 
			 2001(43) Eastern 0 2 22 3 1 26 28 
			 2001–02 Northern 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 9 10 
			 2001–02 Southern 3 2 0 0 0 0 5 
			  
			 2002(43) Eastern 0 12 13 0 0 13 25 
			 2002–03 Northern 0 5 n/a n/a n/a 15 20 
			 2002–03 Southern 3 1 1  0   
			   
			 2003(43) Eastern 0 3 10 0 0 10 13 
			 2003–04(44) Northern n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2003–04(44) Southern 4 0 1 0 0 1 5 
		
	
	(43) Eastern Board figures are supplied for calendar years
	(44) Data for 2003–04 covers the period 1 April 2003 to 22 September 2003
	
		Table 2: Number of patients from each Health Board Area referred for
		
			  Health Boardof Residence Northern Ireland Abroad England Scotland Wales Total 
		
		
			 2000–01 Eastern 4 129 0 45 0 178 
			 2000–01 Northern n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000–01 Southern 204 98 0 30 0 332 
			 
			 2001–02 Eastern 66 1,200 0 88 0 1,354 
			 2001–02 Northern 53 0 0 54 0 107 
			 2001–02 Southern 39 0 0 48 0 87 
			 
			 2002–03 Eastern 551 163 0 13 0 727 
			 2002–03 Northern 196 86 0 30 0 312 
			 2002–03 Southern 197 62 0 6 0 265 
			 
			 2003–04(45) Eastern 0 9 0 0 0 9 
			 2003–04(45) Northern 0 100 0 0 0 100 
			 2003–04(45) Southern 138 39 0 0 0 177 
		
	
	(45) Data for 2003–04 covers the period 1 April 2003 to 22 September 2003
	Note:
	Treatment as part of Waiting List Initiatives
	
		Table 3: Number of Patients from Western Health Board Area referred to
		
			  Health Boardof Residence Northern Ireland Abroad England Scotland Wales Total 
		
		
			 1999–2000(46) Western 0 10 8 90 1 109 
			 2000–01 Western 158 9 13 28 0 208 
			 2001–02 Western 227 5 6 73 o 311 
			 2002–03 Western 648 15 28 32 0 723 
		
	
	(46) Figures for transfers under waiting list initiatives were not available for 1999–2000
	Note:
	Data supplied for the Western Board Area includes all transfers to private healthcare providers

NHS Patients (Private Health Care)

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria is used by the NHS in Northern Ireland to decide when to refer a patient to a private healthcare provider for treatment.

Angela Smith: The decision to refer a patient to a private healthcare provider for treatment is based on a variety of factors, including the availability of the treatment on the health and social services in Northern Ireland or on the NHS in Great Britain and how long the patient may have to wait for such treatment, as well as the cost. Private health care providers also have to satisfy the appropriate Health and Social Services Board as to the quality of care that will be provided, including arrangements for the provision of any necessary aftercare.

NHS Patients (Private Health Care)

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been spent by the NHS in Northern Ireland to obtain healthcare from private healthcare providers in (a) in England, (b) in Northern Ireland, (c) in Scotland, (d) in Wales and (e) abroad in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Northern Ireland Assembly

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress towards re-establishing the Northern Ireland Assembly.

John Spellar: As the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland made clear to the House in the debate on the Northern Ireland (Monitoring Commission etc.) Bill, 17 September 2003, Official Report, column 901, we are working hard to rebuild trust and confidence necessary for elections to the Assembly, and the restoration of devolved institutions, as soon as possible.

Pre-school Education

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Pre-school Education Advisory Group's places have been allocated to each nursery school and playschool in the South Eastern Education and Library Board for 2003–04.

Jane Kennedy: I understand from the Chief Executive of the South Eastern Education and Library Board that the following allocations of PEAG places have been made to voluntary and private sector pre-school centres in the Board area. The process of the PEAG reallocating unused places is still under way. The figures shown below may not, therefore, represent any individual centre's final allocation for the year.
	
		Ards Borough Council Area
		
			 Ward Provider Places Allocated 2003–2004 
		
		
			 Ballygowan Ballygowan Community Playgroup 24 
			 Ballywalter Ballywalter Playgroup 18 
			 Glen Bees Nees Early Years Centre 18 
			 Carrowdore Carrowdore Community Playgroup 24 
			 Ballywalter Chirpy Chicks Playgroup 15 
			 Loughries/Carrowdore Chuckles Playgroup 19 
			 Killinchy Kilmood Playgroup 24 
			 Kircubbin Kircubbin Pre-school Playgroup 26 
			 Scrabo Little Doves Community Playgroup 15 
			 VIovilla Movilla Abbey Playgroup 26 
			 Vtovilla Play-a-Way Childcare Centre 20 
			 Portaferry Portaferry Playgroup 18 
			 Central Ards St. Finian's Playgroup 18 
			 Scrabo/Loughries The Playcentre at Manor Court 24 
			 Comber East The Shell Playgroup 18 
			 Total  307 
		
	
	
		Castlereagh Borough Council
		
			 Ward Provider Places allocated 2003–2004 
		
		
			 Enler Ballybeen Women's Centre Pre-School 16 
			 Grahamsbridge Bumbles Playgroup 18 
			 Carryduff East Carryduff Pre-school Playgroup 48 
			 Cregagh Cregagh Pre-School Playgroup 24 
			 Carryduff Millennium PG 18 
			 Newtownbreda/ Knockbracken Mount Oriel Playgroup 24 
			 Wynchurch St. Bernard's Pre-school Playgroup 18 
			 Carryduff East St. Joseph's Pre-school Playgroup 18 
			 Moneyreagh Toddle-In Playgroup 24 
			 Total  208 
		
	
	
		Down District Council Area
		
			 Ward Provider Places allocated 2003–2004 
		
		
			 Ardglass Ardglass Community Pre-School PG 16 
			 Seaforde/ Killough Ballykinlar Community Pre-School 18 
			 Castlewellan Castlewellan Community Playgroup 10 
			 Crossgar/ Ballymote Crossgar Community Playgroup 18 
			 Drumaness Drumaness PS Playgroup 18 
			 Dunmore Drumaroad Cross Community PG 16 
			 Dundrum Dundrum Cross Community PG 12 
			 Kilmore Glasswater Pre-school Playgroup 18 
			 Ballykinlar Great Oaks Playgroup 24 
			 Tollymore Kilcoo Playgroup 12 
			 Castlewellan Hickory Dickory Dock 10 
			 Killough Killough Playgroup 16 
			 Killyleagh Killyleagh Community Playgroup 24 
			 Kilmore Little Sunbeams Playgroup 12 
			 Drumaness Loughinisland Playgroup 20 
			 Cathedral Naiscoil Dhun Padraig 12 
			 Castlewellan Naiscoil Uachtar Tire 10 
			 Donard Newcastle Playgroup 19 
			 Quoile Rathkeltair Cross Community PG 16 
			 Strangford Saul Cross Community Playgroup 16 
			 Drumaness/ Kilmore Teconnaught Playgroup 24 
			 Ardglass Tiny Toons Community Playgroup 14 
			 Total  355 
		
	
	
		Lisburn Borough Council
		
			 Ward Provider Places Allocated 2003/2004 
		
		
			 Dromara Anahilt Pre-school Playgroup 18 
			 Glenavy Ballymacward Pre-School Playgroup 15 
			 Hillsborough Busy Bees 23 
			 Derriaghy Chatterboxes Playgroup 12 
			 Dromara Dromara Playgroup 36 
			 Seymour Hill Drumbeg PG 11 
			 Seymour Hill Dunmurry Community Playgroup 24 
			 Dunmurry Kinders Daycare 10 
			 Ballymacbrennan Legacurry Playgroup 18 
			 Harmony Hill Little Oaks Pre-School 20 
			 Seymour Hill Mickey Mouse 15 
			 Derriaghy Oakwood Pre-school Playgroup 20 
			 Vlaghaberry Poppins Day Nursery 16 
			 Moira Rainbow Corner Playgroup 24 
			 Ballymacoss Rhyme Times 24 
			 Harmony Hill Rumble's Playgroup 16 
			 Twinbrook Scoil Na Fuiseoige 26 
			 Ballinderry Sunshine Playgroup 20 
			 Total  348 
		
	
	
		North Down Borough Council
		
			 Ward Provider Places allocated 2003–2004 
		
		
			 Ballymagee Ballycrochan Playgroup 24 
			 Churchill Ballyholme Presbyterian ChurchPlaygroup 20 
			 Bangor Castle Bangor Abbey Playgroup 13 
			 Springhill Bangor West Nursery Playgroup 24 
			 Springhill Bo-Peep Corner Playgroup 18 
			 Crawfordsburn Crawfordsburn PG 13 
			 Ballycrochan Early Days Playgroup 22 
			 Craigavad Glencraig Playgroup 18 
			 Rathgael Little Acoms Pre-School Playgroup 32 
			 Rathgael/ Clandeboye Little Flower Playgroup 11 
			 Rathgael/ Bloomfield N Paddington Corner Playgroup 13 
			 Loughview Redburn Community Playgroup 20 
			 Springhill/ Bryansford St. Comgall's Playgroup 10 
			 Ballyholme Tiddli-Winks Playgroup 18 
			 Holywood Tiggers Palace 15 
			 Total — 271 
		
	
	The total of PEAG places currently allocated in the SEELB area is 1,489.
	Nursery schools and units are not allocated places by PEAGs, but have a standard class size of 26 pupils. The schools in the South Eastern Board area have the following capacities:
	
		
			 School Name Capacity 
		
		
			 Abbey PS, Newtownards—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Academy PS, Saintfield—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Ballymacash PS, Lisburn—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Ballymacrickett PS, Glenavy—Nursery Unit 26 
			 Bangor Nursery School 78 
			 Barbour Nursery School, Lisburn 78 
			 Belvoir Park PS, Belfast—Nursery Unit 78 
			 Bloomfield Road PS, Bangor—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Braniel PS, Belfast—Nursery Unit 78 
			 Brooklands PS, Dundonald—Nursery Unit 78 
			 Cairnshill PS, Belfast—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Castlereagh Nursery School, Belfast 52 
			 Cedar Integrated PS, Crossgar—Nursery Unit 26 
			 Christ the Redeemer PS, Belfast—Nursery Unit 78 
			 Comber PS—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Convent of Mercy Nursery School, Downpatrick 78 
			 Donaghadee PS—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Downpatrick Nursery School 52 
			 Fort Hill PS, Lisburn—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Glenbrook Nursery School, Newtownards 78 
			 Good Shepherd Nursery School, Poleglass 52 
			 Harmony Hill PS, Lisburn—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Holy Trinity Nursery School, Lisburn 52 
			 Holywood Nursery School 52 
			 Kilcooley PS, Bangor—Nursery Unit 26 
			 Killowen PS, Lisburn—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Kilmaine PS, Bangor—Nursery Unit 52 
			 King's Road Nursery School, Belfast 52 
			 Knockbreda Nursery School, Belfast 78 
			 Lisburn Central PS—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Maghaberry PS, Moira—Nursery Unit 26 
			 Millisle PS—Nursery Unit 26 
			 McKinney PS, Dundrod—Nursery Unit 26 
			 Newcastle PS—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Newtownards Nursery School 78 
			 Old Warren PS, Lisburn—Nursery Unit 26 
			 Our Lady Queen of Peace PS, Kilwee—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Pond Park Nursery School, Lisburn 104 
			 Portavogie PS—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Rathmore PS, Bangor—Nursery Unit 52 
			 St. Aloysius PS, Lisburn—Nursery Unit 26 
			 St. Colmcille's Nursery School, Downpatrick 78 
			 St. Joseph's PS, Carryduff—Nursery Unit 52 
			 St. Kieran's Nursery School, Poleglass 52 
			 St. Luke's Nursery School, Twinbrook 52 
			 St. Malachy's PS, Bangor—Nursery Unit 52 
			 St. Malachy's PS, Castlewellan—Nursery Unit 26 
			 St. Mark's PS, Twinbrook—Nursery Unit 52 
			 St. Mary's PS, Newcastle—Nursery Unit 52 
			 St. Mary's PS, Portaferry—Nursery Unit 26 
			 St. Patrick's PS—Magheradroll Nursery Unit, Ballynahinch 52 
			 St. Therese Nursery School, Belfast 52 
			 Towerview PS, Bangor—Nursery Unit 52 
			 Trinity Nursery School, Bangor 78 
			 West Winds PS, Newtownards—Nursery Unit 26 
			 Total 2,938

Racial Assaults

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many racial assaults there were in each Northern Ireland parliamentary constituency in each of the last three years, broken down by ethnic group;
	(2)  how many racial assaults, broken down by ethnic group, have occurred in each of Northern Ireland's parliamentary constituencies in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: The following table details the total number of racially motivated assaults recorded in each of the last three years in Northern Ireland. Current recording methods do not break these figures down by parliamentary constituency or ethnic group.
	
		
			 Year Number of physical assaults 
		
		
			 April 2000 to March 2001 58 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 39 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 50

Respite Care

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision there is for respite care for adults with special needs in the Northern Health and Social Services Board Area; and what plans there are to increase provision in the constituency of East Antrim.

Angela Smith: The Northern Health and Social Services Board advises that the provision of respite services to support adults with special needs differs between the two Community Health and Social Services Trusts in its area.
	In Causeway Health and Social Services Trust service provision is almost exclusively through the Trust's own family based respite care scheme. In Homefirst Health and Social Services Trust the model of provision is slightly different, drawing mainly on services provided through a family based scheme run by the voluntary sector, while also using a limited amount of statutory sector provision. This year the Northern Health and Social Services Board provided additional resources to increase family based respite, in conjunction with the voluntary sector, in the East Antrim area.

Senior Civil Service

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Senior Civil Service Review.

Ian Pearson: The independent review of Appointment and Promotion Procedures for the Senior Civil Service of the Northern Ireland Civil Service was conducted under the chairmanship of Lord Ouseley. The review report was published in 2002 and contained 25 specific recommendations, two of which related to reserved matters.
	An action plan was developed to address the recommendations made, and was put out for public consultation. Considerable progress has since been made against its objectives. The consultation also sought views on recommendations on open recruitment and work/life balance, and it is intended that an announcement on these matters will be made later in the autumn.

Teachers

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many qualified teachers were working in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested (expressed as full time equivalents) is as follows:
	
		Qualified teachers working in primary and secondary schools in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 (a) Primary Schools  
			 1997–98 9,012 
			 1998–99 8,810 
			 1999–2000 8,751 
			 2000–01 8,741 
			 2001–02 8,780 
			 2002–03 8,753 
			 Preparatory Departments  
			 1997–98 181 
			 1998–99 186 
			 1999–2000 172 
			 2000–01 170 
			 2001–02 160 
			 2002–03 154 
			 (b) Secondary Schools  
			 1997–98 10,336 
			 1998–99 10,358 
			 1999–2000 10,548 
			 2000–01 10,747 
			 2001–02 10,809 
			 2002–03 10,840

Telecommunications Industry

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to support Northern Ireland's existing and new high technology and telecommunications industry and entrepreneurs; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Invest NI employs a broad range of measures to assist existing companies and entrepreneurs in the hi-technology and telecommunications sectors. The principal form of support available to assist significant new investment proposals (by new or existing businesses) is Selective Financial Assistance, which may contain elements covering capital and revenue grants in addition to loans and equity participation. Invest NI also operates a comprehensive series of schemes and programmes aimed at providing support which can be tailored to the needs of individual companies or entrepreneurs.
	These measures assist Invest NI to achieve the objectives set out in its Corporate Plan 2002–05. They therefore focus on promoting innovation and stimulating higher levels of R&D and knowledge transfer; helping companies to achieve higher levels of growth; promoting a more enterprising culture; raising the number of business starts; and attracting new inward investment.
	Invest NI has achieved a highly credible performance in its first year of operation. Key Innovation targets have been met or exceeded; Growing Existing Businesses and Business Start-up targets have been substantially achieved; and performance in attracting new inward investment has been encouraging, despite the continuing global downturn in foreign direct investment. In particular, Invest NI has assisted the setting up of 74 new, potentially high growth companies in the hi-tech and telecommunications sectors. Its offer of £14.3 million support towards business proposals by companies in these sectors represents a total investment of £109 million.
	Invest NI has also played a key role in establishing the Northern Ireland Science Park and has provided £26 million to support the establishment of 17 Centres of Research Excellence, the majority of which are focused on high technology sectors. In addition, Invest NI has been highly active in drawing up a series of sector strategies aimed at maximising the economic development potential for a range of sectors including hi-technology and telecommunications.
	These excellent first year achievements offer a very sound platform on which Invest NI can build in the future. They demonstrate the success of the measures which Invest NI has developed to provide support schemes and programmes which are both comprehensive and sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of existing businesses and entrepreneurs in a wide range of industrial sectors, including hi-technology and telecommunications.

Teletech Redundancies

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he has implemented to assist those workers at TeleTech in North Belfast made redundant recently.

Jane Kennedy: The Department for Employment and Learning's North Belfast JobCentre contacted TeleTech immediately after the company's announcement on 3 September that approximately 60 workers would be made redundant. An offer of assistance to help find alternative employment for those workers facing redundancy was made. The company decided not to take up this offer at this time as it is hoping to reduce the numbers to be made redundant by redeploying some of those affected to other contracts within TeleTech.

Television Licences

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, against how many people successful prosecutions have been taken for the non-payment of television licence fees in the past five years.

Estelle Morris: I have been asked to reply.
	The available information for England, Wales and Scotland relates to all offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts of 1949 and 1967, though the great majority of these involve licence fee evasion.
	Figures for Northern Ireland, provided by TV Licensing, relate specifically to unlicensed use of a television receiver. The number of convictions recorded in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years for which information is available was:
	
		
			 Year Number of convictions 
		
		
			 1997 (47)79,898 
			 1998 78,804 
			 1999 (48)56,929 
			 2000 108,680 
			 2001 86,118 
		
	
	(47) Excludes Northern Ireland, for which figures for 1997 are not available.
	(48) 1999 returns for Scotland may be incomplete.

Television Licences

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prosecutions proceeded in relation to TV licensing in 2002 in Northern Ireland, broken down by constituency.

Estelle Morris: I have been asked to reply.
	As I indicated in my reply to the hon. Member on 8 September 2003, Official Report, columns 30–31W, the total number of prosecutions proceeded with by TV Licensing in Northern Ireland in 2002 for installation or use of television without a licence was 1,448. I understand that TV Licensing does not record prosecutions by constituency.

Ulster Hospital

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients are awaiting (a) elective admission and (b) out-patient assessment at the Ulster hospital.

Angela Smith: The most recent waiting list figures available reflect the position at the 30 June 2003.
	At 30 June 2003 there were 5,925 patients waiting for in-patient treatment at the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust. 21,264 patients were awaiting a first out-patient appointment at Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust, at 30 June 2003.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employers Liability Insurance

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received concerning increases in employers' liability compulsory insurance in respect of small companies; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Department has received a number of representations concerning increases in Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) from small businesses both directly and via representative organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The Government continue to work closely with such business representatives and the Small Business Service in the work of the second stage of the ELCI review. Government will report in the autumn on the progress that has been made with the review and further steps we intend to take.

Consultancy Contracts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many consultancies were commissioned by the Department in the last two years for which figures are available; and what the cost of those contracts was.

Maria Eagle: In the two year period from September 2001 to September 2003 DWP let 824 consultancy assignments with a total value of £248 million.

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for United Kingdom entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for United Kingdom entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency.

Chris Pond: Details of expenditure on changeover planning were included in the third outline National Changeover Plan, published on 9 June 2003. Copies of the document are available in the Library.
	It is difficult to estimate with any accuracy how much any changeover would cost. It would depend on the approach taken. In particular, many IT systems will be euro compatible as a result of our modernisation programme, which would reduce the costs of any euro changeover.

Social Fund

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to deal with applications to the Social Fund was over the last 12 months, broken down by individual office.

Chris Pond: holding answer 17 September 2003
	Information on the average time taken to deal with applications to the Social Fund broken down by individual office is currently unavailable. I will write to my hon. Friend when the data requested becomes available and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Industrial Injuries

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many industrial injuries disablement benefit appeals have been lodged since 1997; and how many were (a) found in favour of the claimant, (b) found against the claimant and (c) were abandoned due to time constraints.

Des Browne: Appeals are not abandoned due to time constraints. If an Appeal, listed for hearing before a Tribunal, is unable to be heard, or the hearing is unable to be completed because of lack of time, it will be rescheduled for hearing at the next available date.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		
			 Year Lodged at first tier agency Received by the Appeals Service Cleared at hearing Found in favour of appellant Decided against appellant Decision upheld 
		
		
			 1998 20,030 24,630 13,510 5,140 415 7,420 
			 1999 22,070 17,320 17,305 6,895 450 9,300 
			 2000 21,525 22,390 19,170 7,665 90 10,735 
			 2001 22,885 23,110 17,985 7,300 55 10,150 
			 2002 18,355 18,565 17,170 6,550 45 10,030 
			 January to July 2003 7,800 11,250 9,110 3,530 20 5,265 
		
	
	Source
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate Information Centre, 100 per cent sample.
	Notes
	1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available.
	Figures for the latest months will rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	3. Appeals cleared in one year will not be the same appeals received in that year.
	4. An appeal may have more than one clearance in a year and each clearance will be counted. For example, an appellant may not be happy with the outcome of the original hearing and apply to the district chairman for leave to appeal and subsequent hearings may occur as a result.
	5. Not all appeals that are received by the Appeals Service continue through the process to reach a hearing or conclusion. For example, an appeal may be invalid or withdrawn prior to hearing.

Ministerial Meetings

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his meeting with Ros Altmann on 17 September.

Andrew Smith: On 9 September I met various people with an interest in the ASW and Dexion pension schemes, including Ros Altmann. During that meeting, I reiterated that I am examining the position and would listen to sensible and constructive suggestions for dealing with compensation, not only for members of the ASW and Dexion pension schemes, but also for others in a similar position. But I also stressed that while I will listen to proposals, I do not wish to provide people with false hope that the Government will step in to help members of defined-benefit pension schemes which have already started to wind-up.
	During the meeting on 9 September, I agreed that my officials should meet Ros Altmann to discuss her suggestions. This was the meeting that took place on 17 September, which my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Mr. Wyatt) also attended. The meeting focussed on Ros Altmann's proposals for providing assistance and the assumptions on which her proposals are based. No minister attended the meeting on 17 September.

Pension Advice Surgeries

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the locations of the local pension advice surgeries are.

Malcolm Wicks: The Pension Service provides a wide range of information and support on benefits to older people through our network of local service surgeries.
	Local Pension Service surgeries are held on a regular basis across all areas of the country, often in partnership with other organisations such as local authorities and Age Concern. The latest data available indicate that there are currently 2,650 regular drop in and appointment surgeries in place nationally.
	Details of the most convenient surgery for individual pensioners and their carers can be obtained by telephoning 0845 60 60 2 65.
	The Pension Service wrote to all hon. Members at the end of July providing a full list of surgeries and opening times in individual constituencies; however I am happy to list here the regular surgeries that take place in the Northavon area:
	South Gloucestershire Deaf Association
	Kingswood Library
	Patchway Community Centre
	Pucklechurch Sheltered House
	Thornbury Library
	Yate Library
	Frenchay Hospital
	Southmead Hospital
	Avon Crescent Sheltered Housing
	Marshfield Church Hall
	Withymead
	The Brockridge Centre.

Pension Credit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his oral briefing to pensioners of 3 September on the pension credit, (a) what the total advertising budget is, (b) how many pensioners will receive pension credit in October, and, of that number, how many will be former minimum income guarantee claimants; and if he will estimate the (i) number of calls that can be dealt with per (A) hour and (B) day by the pension credit telephone application line and (ii) average time to complete an application using the pension credit telephone application line.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) on 17 June 2003, Official Report, column 157W. There are now around 1.9 million pensioner households on our systems being paid pension credit. We intend from November to publish monthly reports on the progress of pension credit take-on, which will include a more detailed breakdown of this figure. Our planning assumes that on a typical weekday the pension credit application line will be handling around 18,000 calls a day, although if necessary the application line has the capacity to answer up to 14,000 calls per hour for a limited time during exceptionally busy periods. The level of resources will ensure that customers who wish to make an application using the application line can do so. The average time to complete a pension credit application for customers using the application line is currently about 20 minutes.

Pension Credit

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in The Wrekin he estimates will benefit from the pension credit.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. However, an estimated 350,000 pensioner households are eligible for pension credit in the West Midlands.
	Notes:
	1. The estimates were calculated for all pensioners using the Department's Policy Simulation Model based on the Family Resource Survey data for 2001–02 projected forward to 2003–04. This shows around 3.6 million households entitled to pension credit.
	2. The Policy Simulation Model excludes all pensioners in nursing or residential care homes. This is because the Family Resource Survey data does not contain information on these cases. We estimate that just over 200,000 pensioners in care homes will be entitled to pension credit. This means that the total number of pensioner households eligible for pension credit in 2003–04 is estimated to be about 3.8 million households.

Travel to Work Areas

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the top and bottom 100 travel to work areas by average wage; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The Information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who is writing to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 17 September 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on the top and bottom 100 travel to work areas by average wage. I am replying in his absence.
	Information on average weekly earnings for travel to work areas is taken from the New Earnings Survey (NES) for 2002, the latest year for which data are available. Publication criteria for NBS state that all estimates with a sample size less than 30 or a relative standard error greater than 5% must be excluded from published analyses since they are not accurate enough.
	A large number of the earnings estimates for travel to work areas have been excluded as a result of these criteria, and there are a total of 150 areas for which estimates can be given. I am placing in the House of Commons library a single table showing the estimated average weekly earnings for each of these 150 travel to work areas.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Accountancy Services

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total cost to the Department was for accountancy services in 2002–03.

David Lammy: My Department entered into a nine year PFI contract with Liberata UK Ltd., (formerly CSL Group Ltd.) in January 1998. This contract covers a wide range of services including providing accounting systems, making payments, receipting and accounts production. The cost of accountancy services provided to the Department by Liberata under the contract, and from other external firms of accountants or their management consultancy arms where the assignment was connected with financial matters, in 2002–03 was £6.4 million.

Family Law

Alan Beith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what aspects of family law continue to be the responsibility of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

David Lammy: The schedule lists all areas of family law and family policy which had been the responsibility of the former Lord Chancellor's Department prior to the Machinery of Government changes which were announced on 13 June 2003.
	The schedule indicates which responsibilities remain with the Department for Constitutional Affairs, and which have been transferred to the Department for Education and Skills.
	
		Proposed future roles and responsibilities for children and families policyDFES/DCA
		
			  DfES DCA 
		
		
			 Domestic violence Contributing re impact of domestic violence on children Stays (with HO leading cross-Government 'Virtual Unit' on consultation paper and prospective Bill) 
			 Civil partnerships Contributing re issues affecting children if registering/dissolving same-sex partnerships Stays (with DTI leading on consultation paper and prospective Bill) 
			 (Opposite sex) cohabitation Contributing re specific needs and vulnerability of children of cohabitees Lead, (DCA leading cross-Government exploration of information campaign) 
			 International Interest in possible domestic impact Lead, (DCA leading on range of international legal treaty commitments, and Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) casework) 
			 Family justice system 'Powerful customer' specifying desired priorities and outcomes for children involved in system Lead, (implementation of new legislation (eg Adoption and Children Act 2002) and maintenance/development of existing legislation. On-going delivery through the courts, with Legal Services Commission (re legal aid) and new Family Justice Council) 
			 Divorce Transfers (delivery of information comparison/products for parents and children affected by separation/divorce) Part transfer (staying: policy maintenance of Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, repeal of (unimplemented) Part n Family Law Act 1996. Monitoring of delivery of Family Advice and Information Service (FAInS) by the Legal Services Commission) 
			 Child Contact Lead, (implementation of Government response to Children Act Sub-Committee (CASC), "Making Contact Work", Development of child contact services) Contributes (through effective implementation of Section 8 Children Act 1989 in courts) 
			 Child Safety Lead, (implementation of CASC response in areas of Facilitation, enforcement and safety) Contributes (through commencement of revised forms/rules in Section 8 proceedings) 
			 Children's Private Law Lead, (provision of information and other (non-court based) services to parents and children Contributes (through court-based services) 
			 CAFCASS Lead, (both delivery by CAFCASS and operation of sponsor unit), and Lead (as link Minister) to CAFCASS Inspectorate in MCSI Contributes (through courts, judiciary, magistracy (legal practitioners and other stakeholders) 
			 Marriage and Relationship Support (MARS) Lead, (through delivery of grant programme) Contributes (informed by civil partnerships and cohabitation responsibilities)

Lay Magistrates

Philip Hammond: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that lay magistrates are not discouraged by advice from their clerks from accepting invitations to accompany police patrols to experience crime and disorder at first hand.

Christopher Leslie: Successive Lord Chancellors have warned magistrates of the risks of participating in activities which might appear to undermine the independence of the bench. However, one of the strengths of the magistracy is that its members will have a wide range of experience of their local communities. Magistrates are encouraged to keep their knowledge up to date, and visits to areas with particular problems can do much to help. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State does not wish to discourage magistrates from seeing at first hand how the police work within the local community. This must, however, be achieved in ways which minimise the risks of their impartiality being called into question.

Mobile Phones

Howard Flight: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the cost was to his Department and its predecessor of mobile phones supplied to ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: My Department has spent the following each year on mobile phones supplied to ministers and officials:
	1997–98—n/a
	1998–99—n/a
	1999–2000—n/a
	2000–01—n/a
	2001–02—£3,632
	2002–03—£7,610
	2003–04—£4,944 (6 months April 03-September 03)
	Figures are not available for the periods 1997–March 2001 without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The figures shown above are from April 200land for each subsequent financial year. They include the cost of equipment, call charges and line rental fees.

Regulatory Bodies

Tim Yeo: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will list the (a) number of staff employed by and (b) budget of each regulatory body for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: Information on regulatory bodies is available in "Public Bodies", a publication produced annually by the Cabinet Office. This publication provides information on the size, spend and membership of public bodies in the UK and includes non-departmental public bodies. The current edition of the publication "Public Bodies 2003" is available in the House of Commons Library.